DAN TREACY
The expanded College Football Playoff introduced home sites to the format for the first time, but the quarterfinals bring another major change: every New Year’s Six bowl is now a playoff game.
While the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl are this year’s semifinal games, as determined on a rotating basis, the remaining four New Year’s Six bowls won’t be left out of the equation this season. Four playoff teams already knew their bowl matchups when the first round began, and four more are punching their tickets to the quarterfinals in the first round.
The Sugar Bowl will be the last of the quarterfinal games, but it could open the path to a national championship for the winner. Here’s a look at who will be playing in the contest this season.