In the first round of the College Football Playoff, the teams seeded 5-8 all won.

In the second round, they all won again.

The moral of this story: Who knows, other than something doesn’t totally add up when not a single one of the top four teams, all of which received the advantage of a first-round bye, advances into college football’s final four.

The semifinals are set: Next Thursday in the Orange Bowl, it will be No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 7 Notre Dame. Then, Friday in the Cotton Bowl, it will be No. 5 Texas vs. No. 8 Ohio State.

A quick look at the four contenders.

No. 5 Texas

The storY>> The Longhorns are 0-2 against Georgia and don’t have to worry about the Dawgs anymore. They are 13-0 against the rest of the country.

The player>> Receiver Matthew Golden had seven catches for 149 yards, a touchdown and a key two-point conversion in the second overtime in the win over Arizona State to help erase a lot of questionable stuff by his quarterback, Quinn Ewers.

Money matters>> The On3 NIL tracker has Arch Manning — nephew of Peyton and Eli — leading the country at $6.6 million in earnings. Not bad for a backup quarterback, though Manning stepped in capably, starting two games in place of the injured Ewers in September to guide the Longhorns to wins.

No. 6 Penn State

The story>> After a loss to Oregon in the Big Ten title game, Franklin’s record against teams in the AP Top 10 dropped to 3-19. Oregon isn’t playing anymore; Ohio State is, and Franklin’s record against the Buckeyes is 1-10.

The player>> Tyler Warren might have played himself into the top tight end on the NFL draft board this season. In the 31-14 win over Boise State, two of his six catches were for touchdowns.

Money matters>> Quarterback Drew Allar makes around $4 million. He has committed to returning for his senior season, though this strong playoff run might change the calculus.

No. 7 Notre Dame

The storY>> When the Irish lost 16-14 at home to Northern Illinois on Sept. 7, Notre Dame’s odds of winning the national title ballooned to 100-1. Twelve wins later, including two by double digits in the playoffs, and they are listed at 7-1.

The player>> Let’s give this one to a coach. Marty Biagi is in charge of the special teams unit that returned a kickoff for a touchdown, kicked three field goals and baited Georgia into a key offsides penalty in the fourth quarter by quickly subbing out its entire punt team for the offense on fourth-and-1.

Money matters>> QB Riley Leonard is thought to be making around $1 million after his move to the South Bend from Duke.

No. 8 Ohio State

The story>> After punctuating a fourth straight loss to Michigan by standing on the field looking lost while the Wolverines triggered a melee by planting the team flag at the 50-yard line, there was good reason to think coach Ryan Day could only keep his job by somehow rallying to win a national title that felt unlikely.

The player>> WR Jeremiah Smith has 290 yards and four touchdowns in the playoffs. He cradeled in a pair of one-handed catches in an early-season win over Michigan State that put the label “playmaker” all over this highly touted freshman.

Money matters>> Smith is thought to have around $3.7 million in NIL deals.