The filtration process is over. The first playoff round knocked out No. 9 Tennessee, No. 10 Indiana, No. 11 SMU, and No. 12 Clemson from the race. See how there were no shocking upsets in the big games! Now, it’s between the top eight college football teams vying for the National Championship. The quarter finals will see matchups between No. 1 Oregon and No. 8 Ohio State, No. 2 Georgia and No. 7 Notre Dame, No. 3 Boise State and No. 6 Penn State, and No. 4 Arizona State and No. 5 Texas. But this time, there’s going to be possible upsets as per an ESPN analyst. 

Paul Finebaum joined Matt Barrie in a new YouTube episode on ESPN College Football on December 23 to discuss the upcoming CFP path between Texas and Arizona State. For Finebaum, Texas’ gradual improvement gives them the chance of upsetting their higher seeded opponent. He told Barrie, “I like [Texas’] chances. I don’t know Arizona State like you do obviously. I respect the job that they’ve done this year. It’s pretty amazing but I feel like it ends here.”

Everything is pointing in the favor of Texas in the upcoming playoff quarterfinals. ASU enters the Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta as a 13.5-point underdog. The Athletic’s predictor gave Texas an 87% chance of beating ASU, while ESPN’s Matchup Predictor has the Longhorns with a 79.6% chance to emerge victorious. 

Arizona State may be the Big 12 champions with a higher spot. But an SEC powerhouse like Texas is still a major threat. Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns kicked Clemson out of the playoffs on Saturday with their 38-24 victory. But despite the favorable odds, the Longhorns aren’t without concerns. Three of their key offensive linemen suffered injuries against the Tigers, including Cam Williams, Tre Wisner, and Jake Majors. Still, it shouldn’t be much of a setback, as Texas leads in almost every aspect.

Texas is a heavily favored team in the playoff quarterfinals 

This season, Texas compiled a top-25 offense and defense, with their offense ranking No. 14 with 448.8 yards per game. But their defense shone as the third-best in the nation, allowing only 261.4 yards per game. It’s a huge advantage over ASU at No. 37 and No. 34 on offense (423.2 YPG) and defense (333.2 YPG), respectively. 

Texas also outranks the Sun Devils in scoring offense and defense at No. 24 with 33.9 points per game and No. 2 allowing 13.3 points per game, respectively. Not so far behind, ASU ranks No. 30 in scoring offense with 33.1 points per game and No. 29 in defense with 21.3 points allowed per game. But it’s not just the stats that will count in the real play. 

Texas may have narrowly missed the SEC Championship title, but for Steve Sarkisian, the goal is no less than a National Championship. Following the first CFP round victory, he said, “You can’t win (the championship) if you don’t win the first one. We did that.” Could the New Year’s Peach Bowl see the Sun Devils suffer a similar fate with Clemson?