Today: Quarterfinal score predictions, transfer portal intel, Mike Bobo: DGD, and Lane Kiffin speaks out.

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF

College Football Playoff Picks: Experts predict final scores for CFP quarterfinal games

With the first round complete, the College Football Playoff quarterfinals are nearly upon us. The four-game slate begins with a standalone matchup on New Year's Eve, followed by a tripleheader on New Year's Day to open 2026. Ohio State and Miami get things started in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 31, then Oregon faces Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl before Indiana and Alabama meet in the Rose Bowl. Georgia and Ole Miss close the round in primetime at the Sugar Bowl.

On3's experts Andy Staples, Ari Wasserman, Chris Low, J.D. PicKell, and Brett McMurphy submitted their picks for each quarterfinal matchup. All odds are via BetMGM. Here's how the panel sees the games playing out and which teams they expect to advance to the CFP semifinals on Jan. 8-9.

Cotton Bowl: Ohio State (-9.5) vs. Miami

Andy Staples: Ohio State 17–10
Ari Wasserman: Ohio State 27–13
Chris Low: Ohio State 31–17
J.D. PicKell: Ohio State 24–17
Brett McMurphy: Miami 16–14

Miami earned their quarterfinal spot with a grind-it-out win over Texas A&M, setting up a physical matchup with Ohio State. The Buckeyes are coming off a loss to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship but still finished No. 2 in the final CFP rankings, good enough for a first-round bye. Most of the panel sides with Ohio State's defense and experience, though McMurphy sees Miami pulling the upset.

Orange Bowl: Oregon (-1.5) vs. Texas Tech

Staples: Oregon 38–35
Wasserman: Oregon 31–27
Low: Texas Tech 34–23
PicKell: Oregon 27–25
McMurphy: Texas Tech 27–20

Oregon cruised past James Madison in the first round, earning a trip to the Orange Bowl against Big 12 champion Texas Tech. The Ducks get the slight edge from our experts, but Chris Low and Brett McMurphy favor the Red Raiders, making this one of the most evenly split games of the round and a potential offensive shootout.

Rose Bowl: Indiana (-7) vs. Alabama

Staples: Indiana 24–10
Wasserman: Indiana 17–7
Low: Indiana 30–28
PicKell: Indiana 28–17
McMurphy: Indiana 28–10

Alabama survived a slow start against Oklahoma to reach the quarterfinals, but the experts are unanimous in backing Indiana. The Hoosiers enter unbeaten, fresh off a Big Ten title, and led by Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza. The consensus is that Indiana's balance and momentum carry them through in Pasadena.

Sugar Bowl: Georgia (-6.5) vs. Ole Miss

Staples: Georgia 38–30
Wasserman: Ole Miss 38–35
Low: Georgia 28–27
PicKell: Georgia 31–20
McMurphy: Georgia 31–15

Ole Miss advanced with an emphatic win over Tulane in Pete Golding's head coaching debut and now gets a rematch with Georgia. The Bulldogs earned a bye after winning the SEC Championship over Alabama. While Wasserman likes the Rebels in a high-scoring upset, the rest of the panel leans toward Georgia's depth and postseason pedigree to close out the quarterfinals.

Read the full breakdown.

TRANSFER PORTAL

Transfer Portal Intel: Top programs after Sam Leavitt, Caleb Hawkins & more

The transfer portal opens in just three days. But some of the sport's top players have made clear their intentions to test college football free agency.

On3's Pete Nakos has the latest transfer portal intel on where some of the top players could land. Here's the breakdown.

Penn State EDGE Chaz Coleman

Among the early schools to watch for Chaz Coleman is Ohio State, sources have indicated to On3. He's the top-ranked player in the transfer portal, according to the On3 Industry Transfer Portal Ranking. He's a Warren, Ohio native and former four-star recruit. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound pass rusher had one sack as a true freshman.

Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt

The early schools that continue to be tied to the Arizona State transfer quarterback are Oregon and LSU. He entered the 2025 season with Heisman hopes before missing the second half of the season with an injury. He's expected to be one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the portal, commanding $3 to $5 million.

North Texas RB Caleb Hawkins

A trio of schools is being mentioned in conversations for the top available transfer portal running back to this point: Texas, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. If he lands with the Cowboys, it would be a reunion with former North Texas head coach Eric Morris. He totaled 1,804 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2025 as a true freshman.

USF QB Byrum Brown

Auburn continues to trend towards being the top school to watch for Byrum Brown, who played for Alex Golesh at USF.

Cincinnati QB Brendan Sorsby

Sources continue to indicate that the early school to watch is Texas Tech. He threw for 2,800 yards with 27 touchdowns to just five interceptions this season.

Wake Forest DL Mateen Ibirogba

Over 30 schools have begun to express interest in the transfer defensive tackle, who is expected to command seven figures in the portal.

Read Nakos's full report on all of the top portalers.

NCAA FOOTBALL

All roads lead back to Georgia for Mike Bobo, the essence of a DGD

Editor's note: The following is an excerpt from a longer feature by Chris Low.

ATHENS, Ga. – In the lexicon of Georgia football, earning DGD status is about as good as it gets.

For those not of the red and black persuasion: Damn Good Dawg.

It's a way of branding someone Georgia to the core, and along the way, highlighting someone who's made a life of putting Georgia first, someone who's helped Georgia chase excellence, and someone whose journey inevitably leads back to Georgia even when there are detours.

And sometimes, a DGD can be underappreciated on the outside of the Georgia locker room walls despite endearing himself to coaching colleagues, staff members, and players within those walls.

Welcome to Mike Bobo's world.

Good luck in finding somebody more deeply rooted and invested in Georgia football than Bobo and his family. In his second stint as Georgia's offensive coordinator, Bobo is a finalist for the Broyles Award as one of the top five assistants in college football. It's the third time in his career he's been a finalist.

"He will never be given the credit he deserves, sadly, but once he helps lead UGA to a natty, I hope fans will fully appreciate everything he has done for the university," said ESPN analyst and former Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray, who set the SEC's career record for passing yards (13,166) while playing under Bobo from 2010-13.

Bobo, 51, is in his 25th year at Georgia as either a player, assistant coach or offensive coordinator. His father, George, and mother, Barbara, both graduated from Georgia. His son Drew was a second-team All-SEC center at Georgia this season. His wife, Lainie, whom he met at Georgia, is the niece of Georgia Hall of Fame coach Vince Dooley. As Georgia's quarterback from 1994-97, Bobo ranks eighth all-time in career passing yards (6,334). He's been on staff at Georgia for a national championship and five SEC championships and worked under three different head coaches – Kirby Smart, Mark Richt, and Jim Donnan.

"It's a hell of a story, just the sacrifices Mike's made in his journey, and now he's come full circle back to Georgia," Smart told On3. "I think he appreciates things more this second time, sort of a he-knows-what-he's-fighting-for kind of deal. Mike ain't about all the fluff. He's about winning and doing it within our system, and we're in lock step in how that happens.

"It's about running the ball, stopping the run and being physical. It all fits together."

Read the full story from Chris Low.

🚨Headlines

NCAA FOOTBALL

Lane Kiffin joins ESPN booth during LSU-Houston Texas Bowl broadcast

Lane Kiffin hasn't coached a game since leaving the Ole Miss Rebels for the LSU Tigers, but his fingerprints have been everywhere as the College Football Playoff unfolds. On Saturday, Kiffin appeared in the ESPN booth of the LSU vs. Houston Texas Bowl game to discuss everything from Ole Miss' historic first CFP win to navigating the complicated transition in both Baton Rouge and Oxford.

Watching Ole Miss cruise past Tulane in the first round came with obvious emotion. Kiffin, who built the roster but was not allowed to coach it after accepting the LSU job, reacted to the Rebels' win.

"It was awesome," Kiffin said. "It was a great day. It really was. I'm not just saying that. To watch those guys and how much they were smiling having that success. It was the biggest game in the history of the state of Mississippi. To blow out Tulane like that, it was awesome watching them. I was really excited for them."

That win also secured Kiffin a $250,000 bonus, paid by LSU, but his focus remained on the people still in Oxford. Defensive coordinator Pete Golding took over as interim head coach, and Kiffin wants to make sure the Rebels are in a great position to win a championship. In what seems to be a difficult operation, Kiffin appears to be happy with how things are playing out.

The logistics have been anything but simple. Several future LSU assistants, including Charlie Weis, are still working with Ole Miss during the playoff run. Kiffin explained how the staffs are juggling responsibilities.

"They're doing a great job," Kiffin said. "We saw the performance in the last game. They came down here for a couple of days, and now they're back there. I was just on the phone with Charlie Weis. We were talking about quarterback rankings, we were going over them tonight. So, sometimes we have our staff meetings, even though they're back there, when Pete is done with his. Then, we get on and have our own. We're just trying to make it work for both sides so Ole Miss can have the best chance of winning a national championship and we can also be building what we are here."

As LSU's future takes shape, Kiffin has also been clear that his approach will change in Baton Rouge, particularly in recruiting.

"Yeah, it definitely does," Kiffin said when asked if being at LSU will alter his philosophy. "I think you have an individual plan for wherever you're at. LSU being LSU in the state of Louisiana. You got so many great in-state players in Louisiana… So to keep those guys home is a huge priority, to build through high school and add through the portal. Different than what we had to do in the state of Mississippi."

He later underscored that difference even more bluntly.

"At Ole Miss, no significant players on that offense — which is probably the best offense in college football — are from Mississippi," Kiffin said.

Continuity on defense will help bridge that transition. Kiffin made retaining Blake Baker a priority, pointing to the value of stability.

"Blake's done a great job," Kiffin said. "We're excited to keep him as well as a lot of the defensive players, I think, and keep the system the same so there's not so much transition."

For now, Kiffin remains split between two realities. One is watching Ole Miss chase history. The other is laying the groundwork for LSU's next era. His words make clear he is fully invested in both.

Read the latest on Lane Kiffin.

TRIVIA

Now here's a guy...

Below, you'll find 3 facts about a random college football player. You'll try to guess who the player is based on the facts. Let's go.

Also an elite Track athlete, I played my college football at Oregon, where I became the first Duck to score TDs rushing, receiving, and from punt and kickoff returns.
In my senior season, I set an Oregon single-game rushing record with 321 rushing yards and five touchdowns in a win over USC, and I finished ninth in the Heisman Trophy voting.
I was selected by the Panthers in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL Draft, and I went on to play for seven total NFL teams.

Answer at the bottom.

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