ESPN College GameDay: Picks for College Football Playoff Quarterfinal
Following an exciting First Round and a stellar Quarterfinal opener between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 10 Miami on Wednesday night, the final three College Football Playoff Quarterfinal games will take place on Thursday. And now, picks are here.
The day is chock full of storylines. Texas Tech is seeking its first-ever CFP victory, while Oregon is looking towards a return to the CFP Semifinals for the first time since 2014. Ole Miss is seeking revenge against Georgia following its regular season loss to the Bulldogs, and Indiana/Alabama will see a clash between one of college football’s winningest programs (Alabama) and college football’s losing-est program (Indiana).
Ahead of Thursday’s slate, the College GameDay panel has made its selections for the CFP Quarterfinal games. Below are the picks.
No. 4 Texas Tech vs. No. 5 Oregon picks
No. 4 Texas Tech: Desmond Howard
No. 5 Oregon: Kirk Herbstreit, Pat McAfee, Nick Saban
No. 4 Texas Tech and No. 5 Oregon will kick off Thursday’s College Football Playoff Quarterfinal slate in the Rose Bowl. The Red Raiders are seeking their first-ever CFP victory, while the Ducks are looking to avenge last season’s embarrassing 41-21 loss to Ohio State in last season’s CFP Quarterfinals (Rose Bowl). Tech has not played since its Big 12 Championship victory on Dec. 6, while Oregon held off No. 12 James Madison 51-34 in its First Round matchup on Dec. 22.
Top 10
- 1New
Kewan Lacy
Rebels RB decides on future
- 2Hot
Nebraska QB dominoes
Huskers line up multiple visits
- 3
Kenny Minchey
Flips transfer commitment
- 4Trending
Portal Predictions
Predicting transfer commitments
- 5
Bryce Underwood
Decides on Michigan future
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No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 9 Alabama picks
No. 1 Indiana: Pat McAfee
No. 9 Alabama: Desmond Howard, Nick Saban
The clash between No. 1 Indiana and No. 9 Alabama, on paper, looks like one of the most intriguing College Football Playoff games ever. The Crimson Tide, which have historically been a juggernaut, are underdogs to Curt Cignetti’s Indiana Hoosiers. The Hoosiers are 24-2 across the past two seasons and are seemingly the favorites to win their first-ever National Championship. Can Alabama show that it is truly still at the top of the college football landscape without Nick Saban in charge, or will Indiana prove all of its doubters wrong?
No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 6 Ole Miss picks
No. 3 Georgia: Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, Nick Saban
No. 6 Ole Miss: None
No. 3 Georgia and No. 6 Ole Miss are meeting for the second time this season. On Oct. 18, No. 9 Georgia handed No. 5 Ole Miss its first loss of the season in Athens. The Bulldogs held off the Rebels, then led by Lane Kiffin, 43-35 in an offensive explosion that featured 78 total points scored and 861 combined offensive yards. Pete Golding was elevated to head coach following Kiffin’s departure for LSU. He led the Rebels to a 41-10 drumming of No. 11 Tulane in their CFP First Round matchup.