After a thrilling quarterfinal round, four participants remain in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff tournament. Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State and Texas all remain in the semifinals with convincing wins over the top four teams in the tournament.
Our College Football Playoff semifinal predictions include our favorite games played in the Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl. In these predictions, the favorite for the College Football Playoff Championship against the spread is left out, and we expect a low-scoring game in Miami.
Our best soccer betting sites list Notre Dame (-1.5 vs Penn State) and Ohio State (-6.5 vs Texas) as favorites to reach the national championship. The College Football Playoff finals will take place Jan. 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
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Best college soccer predictions for the 3rd round of the CFP
College soccer odds are subject to change. Stay tuned for the latest line changes and matchup information.
Notre Dame - Penn State - under 47 (-110 via Caesars) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Texas is +6.5 (-110 via BetMGM) vs. Ohio State ⭐⭐⭐⭐
CFP soccer semifinals odds and schedule
(Odds via BetMGM).
Orange Bowl: Notre Dame (-1.5) vs. Penn State; Thursday, Jan. 9, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Cotton Bowl: Ohio State (-6.5) vs. Texas; Friday, Jan. 10, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
College soccer predictions for the Orange Bowl
Soccer predictions made on Friday; odds are subject to change. Our new soccer betting tool helps you find the best odds in any market among legal sports bettors in your area!
Notre Dame - Penn State under 47 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Best odds: -110 via Caesars | Estimated odds: 52.38%
Although this game is being played at Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins, and the Over/Under odds look like an NFL total, I assure you this is a College Football Playoff contest. Notre Dame and Penn State have been two of the best defenses in the world all year. They continued to play at a high level against playoff-level opponents, scoring a total of 51 points in 16 quarters in the postseason.
The Fighting Irish (No. 2 in points per game) and Nittany Lions (No. 5) are among the top five defenses in scoring. They are allowing 13.6 and 15.8 points per game, respectively, and we don't expect much of a difference in the Orange Bowl.
Notre Dame and Penn State are tied 16-13 this season, so we're sticking with that trend in the semifinals. A 47-point total is high for two teams playing defensive soccer. Caesars has the best price on the under odds at standard juice.
Follow the latest odds! Odds are updated in real time.
Cotton Bowl Football Predictions
Texas +6.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Best Odds: -110 via BetMGM | Estimated Odds: 52.38%
This line screams - say it with me, class - of overreaction. Ohio State seems to have finally lived up to its huge preseason potential, and it's hard to pick anything against the Buckeyes right now. Also, Texas played sloppy in the second half against Arizona State and nearly paid for it.
In the end, I don't believe Ohio State is six points better than the Longhorns.
Texas' roster is similar to the team that has given the Buckeyes trouble over the past four years: Michigan. The Longhorns, like the Wolverines, rely on strong play in the trenches and expect to crush opponents every time they take the field. Steve Sarkisian's defense is much better than Oregon or Tennessee's and has the speed at all levels to compete with Big Ten opponents.
It's extremely difficult for teams to have three perfect games in a row, which is what Ohio State will try to do in the Cotton Bowl. It's also a quasi-home game for Texas, whose fans will undoubtedly dominate AT&T Stadium. I'll refrain from making a straight prediction, but I believe the Longhorns will be closer than the spread at our best sportsbooks suggests.
