Welcome to the Semifinals
Big teams in big games bring big publicity and a big atmosphere. This will be on full display tonight and Friday night as the College Football Playoff Semifinals take place. The wonderful Notre Dame Fighting Irish (the good guys) will face their opponent, the Penn State Nittany Lions (the bad guys), in the Orange Bowl. The following night, the Texas Longhorns will be playing very close to home in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. Their opponent? The World-Famous Ohio State Buckeyes (world-famous, according to Gus Johnson). A national championship appearance is on the line in both of these games. I’m going to break down what these matchups mean for each school and who I think will be playing in the 2025 College Football National Championship.
Notre Dame vs. Penn State
Two incredibly prestigious schools that haven’t won championships since the 1980s will square off in the Orange Bowl in Miami. Notre Dame is led by fourth-year head coach Marcus Freeman, along with quarterback Riley Leonard and a dominant backfield featuring Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. On the 100th anniversary of Notre Dame’s Four Horsemen, it’s fitting to see the Irish boasting such a dominant ground game.
As for their defense—if you watched the Georgia game, you know just how good they are. Notre Dame’s defense was incredible against the Bulldogs, making key third-down stops and holding Georgia to just 10 points. A win in the Orange Bowl would send Notre Dame to its first national title game since 2012 and give them a shot at their 12th national championship, with their last title coming in 1988. This opportunity has been a long time coming.
If you’re a college football fan, you should be excited that Penn State and Notre Dame are facing off. Like Notre Dame, Penn State boasts an incredible backfield with Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. They have a great quarterback in Drew Allar, who can do a lot of the same things that Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard can do. And, like the Fighting Irish, they have a tremendous defense.
With both programs having championship droughts dating back to the 1980s, this is a game with major stakes. The Orange Bowl is expected to be much closer than the Cotton Bowl, and I’d have to agree. However, I believe my Notre Dame Fighting Irish will advance to the National Championship, while Penn State will have to wait a little longer for a title shot.
Final Prediction: Notre Dame 24, Penn State 20.
Ohio State vs. Texas
Ohio State vs. Texas should be a great matchup, but I don’t think it will be as close as the Orange Bowl. Ohio State has the most talented roster in college football. Jeremiah Smith is already the best wide receiver in the country, and he’s only a freshman. But the Buckeyes’ receiving corps doesn’t stop there—they have multiple other elite targets, including Emeka Egbuka (a former five-star recruit and projected first-round draft pick), Carnell Tate (a tall and athletic sophomore), and their bruising tight end, Gee Scott Jr.
Like Ohio State, Texas is talented, and playing close to home in the Cotton Bowl will certainly help. However, Texas does not have as many offensive weapons as Ohio State. Their backfield is nowhere near as skilled as Ohio State’s, and Quinn Ewers isn’t exactly the most reliable quarterback.
Ohio State has not won a national championship since 2015, and Texas hasn’t won a title since 2005. Ryan Day needs to make up for his loss to Michigan, and Steve Sarkisian is trying to restore Texas to national prominence. However, I believe Ohio State is the most skilled team in the country, and by the end of Friday night, they will have punched their ticket to the National Championship.
Final Prediction: Ohio State 45, Texas 30.
