The semifinals of the College Football Playoff are almost upon us, and fans are excited to see who will be advancing to the national championship.
The quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff saw all four teams with byes suffer losses. Texas defeated Arizona State in double-overtime thriller while Boise State and Georgia were beaten soundly. Oregon, the No. 1 overall seed in the playoff, was blasted off the field by Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.
As we look ahead to the semifinals, here are our power rankings for the four teams remaining in the race for a national title.
4. Texas Longhorns
The Texas Longhorns come in as our No. 4 team in the power rankings and it's simply because they've looked like the most beatable and vulnerable team still alive in the playoff, at least thus far.
Texas was in a bit of peril against Clemson at home before coming up with a goalline stand that held the Tigers from cutting it to one score early in the fourth quarter. Then, the Longhorns blew a big lead to Arizona State and were one targeting call away from the Sun Devils potentially driving down the field and winning in regulation. The game ended up in double overtime, where Texas simply had more depth and wore down the Arizona State defense.
There's no doubt that Texas is an elite team. The Longhorns have a hard-nose defense and they've gotten the job done on offense. Quinn Ewers has made the plays when he's needed to make them. However, there are just other teams that have looked more dominant in these semifinals than the Longhorns.
3. Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State took care of SMU in the first-round, and the Nittany Lions got out to a big lead against Boise State. In terms of competition, Penn State has been the least-tested thus far, but don't make any mistake: They're plenty talented.
Penn State's offense isn't going to blow anyone off the field, but the defense is as good as anyone in the country. Honestly, Penn State's defense — from top to bottom — might be the best defensive unit in the CFP semfinals, Ohio State included.
However, the fact that Penn State hasn't been tested on the same level in terms of competition as the others keeps them at No. 3.
2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame is the real deal. There's no doubt that the Irish have talent all across the field and they're not relying on their name brand this time for why they deserve to be in the spot that they're in.
Riley Leonard is as tough to stop as any quarterback remaining in the playoff. He's got Jeremiyah Love — though the running back is a little banged up — to go alongside him in the backfield. On the defensive side of the ball, Notre Dame's front-four is elite and they've got team speed all across the field.
Notre Dame is coming off a win over Georgia where they simply out-bullied the Bulldogs. The Irish have looked impressive in both of their games, and that's why they're considered a slight favorite over Penn State coming into the Orange Bowl.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes
There has been no team more dominant in the College Football Playoff thus far than Ohio State. The Buckeyes first blew Tennessee off the field in Ohio Stadium and then went to the Rose Bowl and blasted the No. 1-seeded Oregon Ducks.
Ohio State has outscored those two opponents 84-38.
The Buckeyes have a high-powered offense led by Will Howard and a whole host of talented playmakers, including Jeremiah Smith, Quinshod Judkins, and TreVeyon Henderson. Defensively, Ohio State has the most speed of any defense remaining in the field and their front-seven has been dominant.
They're going to be a tough out for anyone, and something tells us that Texas will have trouble slowing down the momentum that Ohio State has accumulated the last two games.