Welcome to Glass Slipper! I’ll always love seeing Russell Westbrook smile; please enjoy the show.

- Jacob Rhee

I was only planning to make predictions for the college football regular season, but I feel like giving out more prizes. Same rules apply; every time I pick a winner incorrectly, it costs me $15 in rewards. I will be predicting the outcomes of the Power Four conference championship games, as well as all 11 playoff contests. That’s 15 extra chances to inflate the Prize Pot. Let’s go.

Orange Bowl: No. 7 seed Notre Dame vs. No. 6 seed Penn State

The pick: Notre Dame wins, 20-17.

We’re about to watch the two nastiest teams in college football put their respective dream seasons on the line in Mike McDaniel’s glitz and glamour funhouse. That’s pretty weird, huh?

Regardless of the venue, this is going to be an awesome, throwback fistfight that old-school fans like myself will happily gobble up. Grass chunks stuck in helmets. Guys fixing each other’s shoulder pads in between plays. Bone-crunching goal-line stands. You want a ticket to Atlanta? You have to earn it.

Before the season, I labeled Benjamin Morrison the best player in America. The Irish were starting to click at the midway point, lost the kid to a serious injury, and then just mauled teams without him. Thus, the Broyles Award - given to the sport’s top assistant coach - belongs on Al Golden’s mantel. He’s created a really special defense in South Bend, and I fully expect that unit to flex its muscles once again.

Nittany Lions playcaller Andy Kotelnicki has done brilliant work, but this passing attack is incredibly reliant on Tyler Warren. We watched Caleb Downs put the clamps on the superstar tight end when Ohio State visited Happy Valley, and Penn State finished that day with zero offensive touchdowns. In case you didn’t realize, Caleb’s safety partner on the AP All-America first team wears a gold helmet. If Xavier Watts silences Warren in this one, does Kotelnicki have a contingency plan? Which wideout is ready to be a hero? Trey Wallace, who hasn’t reached 60 receiving yards in a contest in two months? Omari Evans, who has recorded more than two catches exactly twice in 20 career games? Consider me concerned.

I’ll take Notre Dame to win on a field goal as time expires. Riley Leonard was a three-star recruit headed to Duke in 2021; tonight, he’ll put the Irish one win away from their first national title in 36 years.

Cotton Bowl: No. 8 seed Ohio State vs. No. 5 seed Texas

The pick: Ohio State wins, 31-27.

Quite frankly, this is a nightmare matchup. The Buckeyes possess a suspect offensive line and shaky outside corners; it just so happens that Texas boasts an elite pass rush and a collection of burners in the wide receiver room. If there’s any college student in the nation capable of containing Jeremiah Smith, it’s Jahdae Barron. The Longhorns have a jittery kicker, but Jayden Fielding is twice as bad. There are plenty of reasons to believe in Steve Sarkisian’s crew here.

The key to everything is OSU’s defensive front. If Jim Knowles can send four and still wreak havoc against a fantastic Texas line, this thing is over. Quinn Ewers - who is not exactly immune to awful decisions - will absolutely give a couple away in such a scenario. Now Chip Kelly is leaning on his duo of backs, and embarking on extended, run-heavy drives. The Longhorns became visibly gassed in the Peach Bowl, and those tired legs allowed a dormant Arizona State offense to drop 28 after the break. I wouldn’t be stunned if the Bucks produce a similar second-half explosion tomorrow evening.

Ohio State blew the doors off of Tennessee, then turned around and blasted the No. 1 seed into the offseason. This will not be a third annihilation. Texas is the most talented squad that Ryan Day has faced since the Sugar Bowl heartbreaker against Georgia two years ago, and the Longhorns are essentially in perfect health.

But if Sarkisian wants to conquer this starving Buckeyes group, he’ll need to call a near-perfect game. I don’t believe he has it in him. I’ve watched that dude closely for a long time; he’s not made of the right stuff to operate with full confidence on a stage like this. Give me Ohio State in a nail-biter.

• College Football Playoff Quarterfinals Results: 3-1

• Overall Season Picks Record: 67-29

• Current Prize Pot: $435

Pressroom

Spin It

“I Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty. Almost here.