College Football Playoff Shock: Top 4 Seeds All Lose in Quarterfinals

The first College Football Playoff quarterfinals wrapped up Thursday as Notre Dame defeated Georgia 23–10 following the Sugar Bowl’s one-day postponement due to the deadly attack in New Orleans. 

Despite the delay, plenty of Georgia and Notre Dame fans packed the Caesars Superdome to create a lively atmosphere for the 4 p.m. ET kickoff. However, the announced attendance was 57,267—more than 11,000 short of the 68,400 tickets sold. 

Notre Dame’s victory means that in the first 12-team CFP, the top four seeds were swept after earning first-round byes by winning their respective conference champions. However, due largely to the CFP’s unique structure, each of the lower seeds in the quarterfinals was the betting favorite by kickoff of each game. Georgia was without starting quarterback Carson Beck, who was injured in the SEC championship game.

While Oregon and Georgia were the top two teams in the final CFP rankings, Boise State and Arizona State also earned bye weeks despite being ranked No. 9 and No. 12, respectively. Ultimately, the time off didn’t prove to be enough of an advantage for any of them.

The quarterfinals—played across traditional New Year’s Six bowl games—came after the CFP’s first round saw Texas, Ohio State, Penn State, and Notre Dame each beat their underdog visitors by double digits in front of rowdy home crowds during the debut of on-campus Playoff games.

Now the CFP semifinals are set:

• Orange Bowl, Jan. 9: (7) Notre Dame vs. (6) Penn State
• Cotton Bowl, Jan 10: (8) Ohio State vs. (5) Texas

The winners of those games will square off in the CFP national championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Jan. 20. Ohio State, the lowest seed remaining, is the betting favorite to win the national championship with +110 odds, according to FanDuel.

Big Ten Is Still King

After the Big Ten topped all other conferences with four CFP bids, two Big Ten squads—Ohio State and Penn State—have reached the semifinals. That has earned the Big Ten $28 million in bonuses from the CFP’s revenue distribution system.

Texas has secured at least $14 million for the SEC, and Notre Dame—an independent—has earned at least $14 million for itself. 

There is another $12 million up for grabs, as each school that reaches the national championship earns $6 million for its conference, or in Notre Dame’s case, for the university.