Five Big Storylines Going Into The College Football Playoff Quarterfinals

And then there were eight…

The quarterfinals of the 2025 College Football Playoff begin Wednesday when No. 2 Ohio State takes on No. 10 Miami and continue with three more games on New Year’s Day.

This year’s quarterfinals are as wide open as any, with several newcomers hoping to crash the party, while blue bloods such as Ohio State, Georgia, and Alabama hope to reaffirm their status atop the sport.

College Football Playoff Quarterfinal Storylines

With wins in the opening round, Alabama, Ole Miss, Oregon, and Miami all kept their respective seasons alive. This time last year, all four teams that won their opening-round games advanced to the semifinals.

However, a change in seeding format could make for a different story this time around. Meanwhile, those teams are hoping to keep the momentum rolling.

That story, and others, are among the five most interesting to watch for when the action begins on New Year’s Ever.

5) Can Indiana Avoid A Repeat Of Last Year?

When the Indiana Hoosiers made their run to the College Football Playoff in 2024, their first season under head coach Curt Cignetti, it was a feel-good story. But nobody expected the untested Hoosiers to go particularly far in the tournament.

Those expectations proved true with a home loss to Notre Dame in the opening round.

This year, however, feels different.

Not only are the Hoosiers undefeated and the No. 1 seed, but they hold victories over both Ohio State and Oregon in the regular season.

Indiana walks into the Rose Bowl as a stunning 7-point favorite over Alabama. If any skepticism remains, the Hoosiers will be looking to put that to bed against the Crimson Tide and exorcise their demons from a year ago.

4) Is Texas Tech Really Ready For The Big Time?

The 2025 Texas Tech Red Raiders feel a bit like the Hoosiers did a year ago.

Sure, the Red Raiders are an experienced and talented bunch. Yes, they’ve blown out their opponents in all 12 victories en route a 12-1 record and a Big 12 crown.

But has Texas Tech really been tested? And are we really ready to consider Texas Tech a national championship contender?

If the Red Raiders can go into the Orange Bowl and come out with a victory over Oregon, despite the Ducks entering as 2.5-point favorites, it’ll solidify their legitimacy and prove that Texas Tech is just as big a threat as any team in the country to lift a national championship.

3) Will The First-Round Bye Prove Detrimental Yet Again?

One year ago, Oregon, Georgia, Boise State, and Arizona State all received a bye to the quarterfinals.

Then, when it came time to take the field, all four lost in the quarters to a lower-seeded team. Now, there is some context that needs to be applied here.

Both Boise State and Arizona State received automatic byes by virtue of being conference champions, which vaulted them up the rankings. Georgia, meanwhile, was playing its first full game with then-backup QB Gunnar Stockton after Carson Beck was injured in the SEC championship game.

This time around, the top four teams in the rankings were also the top four teams in the seeding, and three of the four – Texas Tech being the sole exception – enter the quarterfinals as betting favorites.

However, if we see another round like last year, or even three of the four teams that played in the opening round advancing, teams may begin to wonder whether having a first-round bye and several weeks without a game is actually an advantage.

2) Can Ohio State Handle Miami At The Line Of Scrimmage

Despite a loss to Indiana in the Big Ten championship game, defending national champion Ohio State enters the quarterfinal round of the largest betting favorite of any team.

The Buckeyes are 9.5-point favorites against the Miami Hurricanes, and after Miami’s lackluster offensive effort in the opening round against Texas A&M, it’s easy to understand why.

However, in the two games where Ohio State has struggled this season, against Texas in Week 1 and the Hoosiers in the Big Ten title game, it lost the battle of the line of scrimmage.

The Hurricanes, while flawed, are very good on both the offensive and defensive lines. If Miami can run the ball at all, and star defensive linemen Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor can pressure Buckeyes’ quarterback Juliyan Sayin, Miami might just be able to hang around long enough to spring the upset.

1) Can Ole Miss Flip The Script In Its Rematch With Georgia?

On October 18, a then-undefeated Ole Miss Rebels team walked into Sanford Stadium in Athens and controlled the game for three quarters against the Georgia Bulldogs.

However, the Dawgs outscored the Rebs 17-0 in the final quarter to walk out with a 43-35 victory that ultimately kept Georgia alive for a shot at the SEC Championship.

This time around, Ole Miss will get the chance to dethrone Georgia on neutral ground in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. However, they’ll have to do so without head coach Lane Kiffin, who bolted for LSU following the regular season.

Not having Kiffin didn’t seem to slow down the Rebels at all in their opening-round victory over Tulane. But the Bulldogs present a much bigger, faster, and more experienced problem.

Can Ole Miss put four quarters together and pull the upset, which would put Kiffin’s decision to leave even further into question? Or will the Bulldogs continue the undefeated streak they’ve been on ever since the victory over the Rebels in October?