The 10 most important players in the College Football Playoff semifinals

The College Football Playoff kicks off on Monday, and in the final year of the four-team format, this may be the most competitive field since its inception. 

Here are the top 10 players to watch during Monday’s semifinal games:

Rose Bowl Game | No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Alabama | 5 p.m. ET on ESPN

Alabama QB Jalen Milroe: The first-year starter’s remarkable development helped the Crimson Tide solidify themselves as one of the top four teams in the country during their improbable run to the College Football Playoff.

 After a two-interception performance in Alabama’s 34-24 loss to Texas in Week 2, Milroe was benched and forced to watch Tyler Buchner and Ty Simpson combine for 107 passing yards against USF the following week. 

As a result, HC Nick Saban gave Milroe the starting job again, and he’s been an entirely different quarterback since, racking up 2,645 yards of total offense with 28 touchdowns over his final 10 games. 

Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy: McCarthy hopes to have a more successful outcome in his second College Football Playoff start after he threw two disastrous pick-sixes in last season’s 51-45 semifinal loss to TCU. 

McCarthy, holding a 25-1 record as a starter, has been more responsible with the ball this season, only throwing four interceptions, and his experience could be a difference-maker against Alabama. 

However, it’s worth noting that an ankle injury has drastically hindered McCarthy’s performance over the last four games, during which he has averaged 124 passing yards while accounting for just one touchdown. 

Alabama edge-rusher Dallas Turner: Despite losing Will Anderson Jr. to last April’s draft, the Crimson Tide pass rush has been just as dominant this season thanks to Turner, the team leader in tackles for loss (13.5) and sacks (nine). 

Turner is a projected top 15 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and the 11th-ranked prospect by ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., but he could solidify himself as a top 10 selection with a strong performance against the Wolverines. 

Michigan RB Blake Corum: The star of Michigan’s two-headed rushing attack, Corum has rushed for 1,028 yards and a nation-best 24 touchdowns but faces an uphill battle to produce against the Crimson Tide. 

In addition to Michigan missing unanimous first-team All-American offensive lineman Zak Zinter, Alabama is yet to allow a 100-yard rusher in a single game this season. Even so, with McCarthy still banged up, Corum will continue to be a focal point of the Wolverines offense in Monday’s contest. 

Michigan DB Mike Sainristil: Winning the turnover battle will be vital in this clash, and the Wolverines could ultimately have the advantage. Michigan’s +17 turnover margin is the best mark in college football this season, and its success in that department can be attributed to the play of Sainristil, a fifth-year senior. 

Sainristil has had a nose for the ball throughout the season, registering five interceptions, two of which he took to the house, to go along with two forced fumbles and six pass breakups. 

Sugar Bowl | No. 2 Washington vs. No. 3 Texas | 8:45 p.m. ET on ESPN

Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.: The top player in the College Football Playoff, Penix finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting after throwing for 4,218 yards and 33 touchdowns during his stellar senior season. Penix threw for 287 yards, two touchdowns and one interception when these teams met in the 2022 Valero Alamo Bowl, but he could be poised for an even better outing this time around. 

Although Texas owns the nation’s third-best run defense, it has the 93rd-ranked pass defense, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Penix attempt 40 or more passes on Monday, which he’s done four times this season. 

Texas QB Quinn Ewers:
Ewers, who is tied with Longhorns legend Vince Young as the highest-rated high school quarterback recruit of all time, has elevated his game since his last meeting with the Huskies defense. 

Only playing in 11 games due to a shoulder injury, Ewers has thrown for 3,161 yards with 21 touchdowns and six interceptions, posting a 70.7% completion rate. 

The 20-year-old’s play will be the deciding factor in this game, and fortunately for the Longhorns, he’s coming off a career-best performance, throwing for 452 yards and four touchdowns in the Big 12 Championship. 

Washington WR Rome Odunze: If Penix delivers the Huskies another win over the Longhorns, chances are Odunze, a candidate to be the second wide receiver off the board in April’s draft, will be heavily involved. The Biletnikoff Award finalist battled through injuries to catch 81 passes for 1,428 yards and 13 touchdowns, the sixth-most in college football. 

According to Pro Football Focus, Odunze’s 70.8% contested catch rate is the second-best mark for any receiver with at least 100 targets this season, making him the toughest wideout the Longhorns secondary has faced this season. 

Texas WR Xavier Worthy: The Longhorns’ leading receiver will play in the Sugar Bowl after exiting the Big 12 title game early with an ankle injury. Worthy has hauled in 73 passes for 969 yards with five touchdowns this season and will aim for better results against the Huskies than he had in last season’s Alamo Bowl. 

In that game, Worthy amassed 84 yards on seven receptions but had two critical third-quarter drops that determined the outcome

Texas DT T’Vondre Sweat: The 6-foot-4, 362-pounder took home this season’s Outland Trophy, awarded to the top interior lineman in college football, after collecting 43 tackles, eight for loss, two sacks, seven quarterback hurries, four pass breakups and one blocked extra point. 

Sweat has played his way into first-round consideration for the 2024 NFL Draft, and an impressive showing against a stout Huskies offensive line should all but secure an early selection. 

It won’t come easy, however, as Washington’s O-line — headlined by Troy Fautanu — has only allowed 11 sacks this season, tied for the fourth-fewest among FBS teams.