As the College Football Playoff whittles down to eight teams, the level of competition should intensify after four lackluster first-round contests. The quarterfinals feature intriguing matchups<\/a> and an opportunity for various players to factor into pivotal roles.\u00a0<\/p>\n Some of the playmakers poised to be the difference in their quarterfinals are obvious; others, less so. All figure into a central subplot of their respective matchups.<\/p>\n While running back Ashton Jeanty\u2019s historic rushing production<\/a> is the obvious cornerstone of Boise State\u2019s push to the Playoff, the steadiness Maddux Madsen has provided at quarterback played a crucial role in the Broncos\u2019 11-game winning streak.<\/p>\n Defenses focusing more on slowing Jeanty each week forced Madsen to keep the opposition honest. He responded with 22 touchdown passes against only three interceptions and five rushing scores.<\/p>\n Penn State\u2019s defense is the deepest and most talented Boise State will see since visiting No. 1 overall seed Oregon back in Week 2. The Nittany Lions\u2019 stifling run defense, which has held opponents to just 3.1 yards per carry, figures to focus heavily on Jeanty.<\/p>\n Madsen\u2019s response early on, perhaps forcing Penn State defenders out of the box, will determine Boise State\u2019s fortunes in the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n Penn State\u2019s defensive line causes opposing offenses headaches on all sides, most notably with Abdul Carter\u2019s uncanny ability to get into the backfield<\/a>. A vital part of freeing up the rush comes on the interior, where Zane Durant causes plenty of problems for blockers.<\/p>\n The tackle\u2019s combination of size, speed off the line, and strength produces mismatches that contribute to the Nittany Lions\u2019 stingy rushing yields. Durant\u2019s contributions are hardly limited to commanding blocking attention, though, as he has added a healthy 10 tackles for loss to Penn State\u2019s whopping 102 total as a team.<\/p>\n With Durant in the middle, Boise State could find it tough to establish Jeanty on the ground, forcing the Broncos’ offense to work outside of the hashes.<\/p>\n At just 75 yards from surpassing Eno Benjamin as Arizona State\u2019s single-season rushing record-holder, Sun Devils running back Cam Skattebo has history ahead of him in the Peach Bowl. More importantly for the team\u2019s goals, Skattebo carries the weight of an offense chasing an improbable national championship, bolstered by its other star offensive player.<\/p>\n The loss of wide receiver Jordan Tyson<\/a> in the regular-season finale dealt the Sun Devils a significant blow, with Tyson\u2019s 1,101 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns accounting for a significant bulk of Arizona State\u2019s aerial offense.<\/p>\n Not having Tyson in the lineup didn\u2019t slow the Sun Devils in the Big 12 Championship Game romp against Iowa State, thanks in no small part to Skattebo\u2019s 170 rushing yards on just 16 carries and two receptions for 38 yards. Skattebo is Arizona State\u2019s leading receiver in yardage for the season with Tyson sidelined, so his dual role in the run and pass game only magnifies his importance to the offense.<\/p>\n Freshman Colin Simmons has been impressive since his Longhorns debut and has only gotten better as the 2024 campaign has gone along. The lightning-quick, hard-hitting linebacker heads into the Playoff with four sacks in three of Texas\u2019 final four games, including one in the SEC Championship matchup with Georgia.<\/p>\n Simmons also forced his third fumble of the season against the Bulldogs.<\/p>\n Having played some of his best games in the Longhorns\u2019 biggest spots, stepping up in key, late-season wins over Arkansas and Texas A&M, expect Simmons to again step up in the team\u2019s biggest spot yet.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Longhorns defense must set the tone early against a prolific Arizona State offense and stamp out any hope for the Sun Devils to turn the Peach Bowl into a track meet.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In a meeting of two of college football\u2019s highest-scoring teams, with Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly\u2019s role being front and center, the Granddaddy of ‘Em All promises to come down to defensive playmakers.<\/p>\n The engine driving the nation\u2019s best scoring defense, Cody Simon leads Ohio State into what could be the best of the four quarterfinals. Labeling the Rose Bowl Game with such a designation isn\u2019t conjecture, either, given these same two teams played to a one-score difference when they met in October.<\/p>\n In that game, which Oregon won at home 32-31<\/a>, Ducks running back Jordan James\u2019 performance was critical.<\/p>\n Simon, key to the Buckeyes\u2019 rush defense, should prove instrumental to Ohio State\u2019s containment of James, and the linebacker also sets the tone for putting pressure on Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel.<\/p>\n With a team-high 10.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss, it\u2019s hardly a stretch to suggest Oregon would not be in the position it is without Matayo Uiagalelei\u2019s presence on the Ducks defense.<\/p>\n One play in particular, however, looms large with Oregon heading into the Rose Bowl Game as the Playoff\u2019s No. 1 overall seed: His heads-up interception of a pass deflected at the line sealed the Ducks\u2019 gritty 16-13 win at Wisconsin on Nov. 16.<\/p>\n That game was part of an outstanding seven-game stretch for Uiagalelei in which he recorded seven of his sacks, one of which came in the win over Ohio State. That his quietest individual effort coincided with Oregon allowing a season-high 37 points in its eight-point win over Penn State in the Big Ten Championship Game is probably no coincidence.<\/p>\n The elbow injury Carson Beck sustained in the SEC Championship Game shrouded Georgia\u2019s quarterback situation in uncertainty ahead of the Playoff. As of this week, it\u2019s uncertain no more: Beck underwent surgery that will prevent him from playing the rest of the season.<\/p>\nFiesta Bowl: Boise State vs. Penn State<\/h2>\n
QB Maddux Madsen, Boise State<\/h3>\n
DT Zane Durant, Penn State<\/h3>\n
Peach Bowl: Arizona State vs. Texas<\/h2>\n
RB Cam Skattebo, Arizona State<\/h3>\n<\/section>\n
Dec 7, 2024; Arlington, TX, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils running back Cam Skattebo (4) holds up the WWE Big 12 championship belt after the Sun Devils defeat the Iowa State Cyclones and win the 2024 Big 12 Championship at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images <\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n
LB Colin Simmons, Texas<\/h3>\n
Rose Bowl Game: Ohio State vs. Oregon<\/h2>\n
LB Cody Simon, Ohio State<\/h3>\n<\/section>\n
Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) and linebacker Cody Simon (0) walk off the field during the second half of the NCAA football game against the Michigan Wolverines at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. Michigan won 13-10. PHOTO USA TODAY SPORTS IMAGES. <\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n
EDGE Matayo Uiagalelei, Oregon<\/h3>\n
Sugar Bowl: Georgia vs. Notre Dame<\/h2>\n
QB Gunner Stockton, Georgia<\/h3>\n<\/section>\n
Dec 7, 2024; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck (15) is injured on a play against the Texas Longhorns during the first half in the 2024 SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images <\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n