Overview
- The semifinal pairings are No. 10 Miami vs. No. 6 Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8 in Glendale and No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 1 Indiana in the Peach Bowl on Jan. 9 in Atlanta, with both games on ESPN and streamable on services that carry ESPN such as Fubo.
- Quarterfinals produced this final four after decisive results: Miami 24-14 over Ohio State, Ole Miss 39-34 over Georgia, Oregon 23-0 over Texas Tech and Indiana 38-3 over Alabama.
- Indiana, led by Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza, is the betting favorite to win the title, and books opened the semifinals with Miami around -3 vs. Ole Miss and Indiana around -4 vs. Oregon.
- Ole Miss is preparing under new head coach Pete Golding after Lane Kiffin left for LSU, with ESPN reporting uncertainty this week over which assistants will remain for the semifinal as the transfer portal opens.
- Analysts note that first-round bye teams have struggled after long layoffs under the 12-team format, fueling fresh scrutiny of the CFP schedule.