College football will have consecutive national champions from outside the Sun Belt region for the first time in three decades if Ohio State beats Texas in a playoff semifinal this week.

The College Football Playoff has arrived at a state most fans have become accustomed to in recent years, with the once 12-strong field now whittled down to the Final Four. Two rounds are down and two more beckon before we reach an end date in Atlanta.

Ohio State faces Texas in the Cotton Bowl, while Penn State takes on Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl in the College Football Playoff semifinals next week on ESPN.