College football picks from ESPN's College GameDay today

ESPN's College GameDay reveals their final predictions for the quarterfinal round games in the College Football Playoff as New Year's Day action kicks off.

College football predictions from ESPN's College GameDay / Andrew Wevers-Imagn Images

College football embarks on a historic New Year’s Day of playoff action today, kicking off the 2025 calendar year with a triple-header of quarterfinal games around the country.

Penn State got an early start to the quarterfinal action, pulling away from Boise State to advance to the semifinal round, bringin head coach James Franklin to a perfect 2-0 record in playoff games.

Now, we move on to the rest of the games with six teams in action across some of the historic bowl games as we look to fill out the semifinal bracket on the road to a historic national championship.

What can we expect as the next postseason games kick off?

For that, let’s turn to the guys on ESPN’s College GameDay, who revealed their final predictions for the College Football Playoff quarterfinal round games.

College football picks from ESPN’s College GameDay

Texas vs. Arizona State

Desmond Howard: Texas over Arizona State

Nick Saban: Texas over Arizona State

Pat McAfee: Texas over Arizona State

Lee Corso: Texas over Arizona State

Kirk Herbstreit: Texas over Arizona State

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Notre Dame vs. Georgia

Howard: Notre Dame over Georgia

Saban: Georgia over Notre Dame

McAfee: Georgia over Notre Dame

Corso: Notre Dame over Georgia

Herbstreit: Georgia over Notre Dame

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Ohio State vs. Oregon

Howard: Oregon over Ohio State

Saban: Ohio State over Oregon

McAfee: Oregon over Ohio State

Lee Corso’s Headgear Pick: Ohio State over Oregon

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College Football HQ picks

Texas vs. Arizona State game prediction

Score prediction for Longhorns vs. Sun Devils playoff game

Georgia vs. Notre Dame game prediction

Expert model projects Georgia vs. Notre Dame football score

Ohio State vs. Oregon Rose Bowl game prediction

Bucks vs. Ducks score prediction by expert football model

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College football schedule for today

All times Eastern, and game lines are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Peach Bowl
College Football Playoff Quarterfinal
Texas vs. Arizona State
Wed., Jan. 1 | 1 p.m. | ESPN

Line: Texas -13

Texas advanced to the quarterfinal round after defeating Clemson at home in the first round game, fielding two 100-yard rushers in a signature victory as the SEC runners-up.

And the Longhorns also field one of college football’s most statistically-dominant defenses this year, a critical advantage going against one of the nation’s hottest offenses.

Running back Cam Skattebo is the engine behind Big 12 champion Arizona State’s confident attack, accounting for more than 1,500 yards this season.

Texas is a big favorite in the game, with a greater than 80 percent chance to win outright and projected to be 11.9 points better on the same field, according to ESPN’s College Football Power Index computer prediction model.

More ... Texas vs. Arizona State Prediction

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Rose Bowl
College Football Playoff Quarterfinal
Ohio State vs. Oregon
Wed., Jan. 1 | 5 p.m. | ESPN

Line: Ohio State -2.5

College football’s most sought-after ticket this week finds a notable rematch of one of the most exciting regular season games of this past year.

Oregon edged out Ohio State by 1 point in their meeting back in October and since then, the Ducks finished as the sport’s only undefeated team and as the Big Ten champion.

Ohio State dropped a stunner to Michigan despite being a big favorite, but rebounded to smash Tennessee in the first round game at home and earn a spot in the Rose Bowl.

Both teams field some of college football’s most dynamic skill players, so we could see a shootout in the sport’s most photogenic venue and its most famous field.

Ohio State has a 54 percent chance to avenge its loss to Oregon, but in a very close game, projected to finish just 1.3 points better on the same field, according to FPI’s prediction model.

More ... Ohio State vs. Oregon Prediction

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Sugar Bowl
College Football Playoff Quarterfinal
Georgia vs. Notre Dame
Wed., Jan. 1 | 8:45 p.m. | ESPN

Line: Georgia -1

SEC champion Georgia earned the first round bye, all the better considering it has to break in a new quarterback on rather short notice after Carson Beck suffered an injury to his throwing arm.

That paves the way for Gunner Stockton to step into the QB1 role for the Bulldogs, short on experience, but high on potential and confidence from his teammates, who have spent the last week talking up their new quarterback.

Notre Dame handled Indiana in the first round game behind another solid rushing effort and dominant defensive showing, and pose a real threat when running the ball.

Jeremiyah Love and quarterback Riley Leonard power an Irish ground attack that ranks 10th nationally in total production, but faces a stiff test against Georgia’s front seven defenders.

Notre Dame is the narrow favorite in the matchup, winning out in 54 percent of the FPI’s computer simulations, and is projected to be 1.4 points better than Georgia on the same field.

More ... Georgia vs. Notre Dame Prediction

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