ESPN brought College GameDay to Pasadena on New Year’s Day, ahead of the legendary Rose Bowl playing site to the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal matchup between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Oregon Ducks.
It’s one of three Quarterfinal showdowns on New Year’s Day. Penn State kicked things off with a victory on New Year’s Eve over Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl to advance to the Semifinals, and now Texas and Arizona State will follow in the Cotton Bowl, with Notre Dame and Georgia capping the night off with a highly anticipated clash in the Sugar Bowl.
Three teams will join the Nittany Lions in having a shot at winning a national title, but who will it be? ESPN’s College GameDay crew, consisting of Desmond Howard, Nick Saban, Pat McAfee, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit, made their picks for Wednesday’s games. Check out how they believe New Year’s Day will go in the realm of college football.
ESPN College GameDay Picks for CFP Quarterfinals:
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl — Texas vs. Arizona State: Steve Sarkisian leads the Longhorns into battle against Cam Skattebo and the Sun Devils inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Everything is on the line for Texas, while Arizona State is playing with house money. Still, they’ve proven to be as dangerous as any team who made it to the dance.
Regardless, the whole crew is on the Longhorns, as the College GameDay crew doesn’t believe the almost two-touchdown underdog Sun Devils can pull the upset.
Rose Bowl Presented by Prudential — Ohio State vs. Oregon: Herbstreit isn’t picking the showdown, as he’s on the call for ESPN. However, the rest of the crew had to put their record on the line and choose between the Buckeyes and the Ducks. It’s a rematch of one of the best games of the regular season, where Ohio State fell by one point to Oregon in Eugene.
The College GameDay cohort was split — Howard and McAfee are riding with the Ducks, while Saban and Corso believe the Buckeyes can get the job done in Pasadena.
Allstate Sugar Bowl — Notre Dame vs. Georgia: The Caesars Superdome is the site where Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish can take the next step in their journey, with Kirby Smart, Gunner Stockton and the Bulldogs standing in their way. Will the Irish buck the trend of the SEC dominating them in the CFP, or will Georgia continue the success of their conference? That’s the million dollar question.
Howard and Corso believe in Notre Dame, while Saban, McAfee and Herbstreit are on the Bulldogs pulling through and getting the victory.
Full CGD analyst picks for CFP Quarterfinals:
Desmond Howard: Oregon, Notre Dame, Texas
Nick Saban: Ohio State, Georgia, Texas
Pat McAfee: Oregon, Georgia, Texas
Lee Corso: Ohio State, Notre Dame, Texas
Kirk Herbstreit: No pick for Ohio State vs. Oregon, Georgia, Texas
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