Ohio State or Tennessee? Will the favorites win? Our 1st-round College Football Playoff picks

The College Football Playoff for the 2024 season finally has arrived, with four first-round games set to unfold this weekend at campus sites.

• WATCH: Stream most of this week’s top college football games live for FREE with Fubo (free trial) or with DirecTV Stream (free trial).

It starts Friday night, with No. 7 Notre Dame playing host to No. 10 Indiana. Then on Saturday, 11th-seeded SMU visits No. 6 Penn State, followed by No. 5 Texas vs. No. 12 Clemson and No. 8 Ohio State playing host to No. 9 Tennessee.

All four winners will advance to the CFP quarterfinals, which are set for Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 at bowl sites around the country. The Ohio State-Tennessee winner will face No. 1 Oregon in the Rose Bowl; the Texas-Clemson winner will play No. 4 Arizona State in the Peach Bowl; the Penn State-SMU winner will take on No. 3 Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl; and the Notre Dame-Indiana winner will go up against No. 2 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

Check out the odds for the four first-round playoff games, plus score predictions from the college football coverage team at The Oregonian/OregonLive.

No. 10 Indiana (11-1) at No. 7 Notre Dame (11-1)

Game details: 5 p.m. PT Friday at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana

TV channel and live stream: ABC/ESPN and Watch ESPN

Latest line: Notre Dame by 7

Over/under: 50.5

Predictions

Ryan Clarke: Notre Dame 27, Indiana 17

James Crepea: Notre Dame 35, Indiana 21

Nick Daschel: Notre Dame 30, Indiana 23

Aaron Fentress: Notre Dame 29, Indiana 23

Joe Freeman: Notre Dame 30, Indiana 21

Sean Meagher: Notre Dame 38, Indiana 35

Joel Odom: Notre Dame 34, Indiana 24

Bill Oram: Notre Dame 31, Indiana 17

No. 11 SMU (11-2) at No. 6 Penn State (11-2)

Game details: 9 a.m. PT Saturday at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania

TV channel and live stream: TNT and Max

Latest line: Penn State by 9

Over/under: 52.5

Predictions

Ryan Clarke: Penn State 31, SMU 10

James Crepea: Penn State 28, SMU 21

Nick Daschel: Penn State 34, SMU 24

Aaron Fentress: Penn State 33, SMU 22

Joe Freeman: Penn State 28, SMU 17

Sean Meagher: Penn State 35, SMU 21

Joel Odom: Penn State 41, SMU 27

Bill Oram: Penn State 35, SMU 33

No. 12 Clemson (10-3) at No. 5 Texas (11-2)

Game details: 1 p.m. PT Saturday at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin

TV channel and live stream: TNT and Max

Latest line: Texas by 12

Over/under: 50.5

Predictions

Ryan Clarke: Texas 23, Clemson 20

James Crepea: Texas 35, Clemson 24

Nick Daschel: Texas 27, Clemson 17

Aaron Fentress: Texas 39, Clemson 24

Joe Freeman: Texas 35, Clemson 20

Sean Meagher: Texas 24, Clemson 17

Joel Odom: Texas 35, Clemson 30

Bill Oram: Texas 55, Clemson 10

No. 9 Tennessee (10-2) at No. 8 Ohio State (10-2)

Game details: 5 p.m. PT Saturday at Ohio Stadium in Columbus

TV channel and live stream: ABC/ESPN and Watch ESPN

Latest line: Ohio State by 7

Over/under: 46.5

Predictions

Ryan Clarke: Tennessee 34, Ohio State 28

James Crepea: Ohio State 35, Tennessee 28

Nick Daschel: Ohio State 35, Tennessee 31

Aaron Fentress: Ohio State 31, Tennessee 23

Joe Freeman: Ohio State 28, Tennessee 24

Sean Meagher: Tennessee 33, Ohio State 31

Joel Odom: Ohio State 27, Tennessee 20

Bill Oram: Tennessee 24, Ohio State 14