This story has been updated to add new information related to the postponement of the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
Former Alabama Crimson Tide football coach Nick Saban revealed his picks and predictions for the three College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchups on New Year’s Day 2025.
From his perch on ESPN’s “College GameDay” set inside an empty Rose Bowl Stadium Wednesday, Saban made predictions on Ohio State vs. Oregon in Pasadena, as well as Texas vs. Arizona State in the Peach Bowl, and Notre Dame vs. Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
For the Peach Bowl matchup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Saban took his former assistant Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns (12-2) to beat the Big 12 champion Sun Devils (11-2).
Saban said:
“I think Arizona (State) has a lot of momentum where they finished the season, but I just think Texas has too much talent on both sides of the ball… I like Texas in this game.”
The winner of Texas-Arizona State will face the winner of Ohio State-Oregon in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10.
In the Sugar Bowl, Saban took Georgia (10-2) to defeat Notre Dame (12-1) at the Superdome in New Orleans, adding:
“I’m going to take Georgia because I believe in Gunner Stockton. I think the guy’s a winner. He’s got a great challenge in front of him, but I just think Georgia knows how to play in these kinds of games. They’ve been in a lot of them and they’ve been successful.”
The Georgia-Notre Dame winner will meet Penn State in the Orange Bowl next Thursday. The Nittany Lions defeated Boise State, 31-14, in Tuesday’s Fiesta Bowl in Arizona.
The Sugar Bowl announced Wednesday that the game had been postponed until Thursday afternoon at 3 p.m. (CT). That announcement followed a deadly attack that occurred on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter early Wednesday morning.
According to police, 10 people were killed and at least 35 more were injured after a pickup truck deliberately drove into a large crowd.
Per USA TODAY:
“Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley said that after consulting with representatives from the two schools, the conferences and ESPN, ‘All parties all agreed that it’s in the best interest of everybody and public safety that we postpone the game for 24 hours.'”
Nick Saban predicts Oregon vs Ohio State Rose Bowl winner
The most-hyped matchup of the quarterfinals is in the Rose Bowl where Oregon (13-0) remains the last unbeaten team in college football. The Ducks will meet Ohio State (11-2) in a rematch following a thrilling 32-31 Oregon win back on Oct. 12 in Eugene.
This time around, Saban took the Buckeyes to win.
“I don’t think we should be picking this game until the next round, just so everybody knows. It is what it is, even though it’s two Big Ten teams. To me, they’re the two best teams in the country. But anyway, I think it’s going to be tough for Oregon to bounce back a second time and beat this team again, so I will take Ohio State.”
Kickoff for the Rose Bowl is set for 4 p.m. CT. All College Football Playoff games today will be televised on ESPN.
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