The decisions have been made. The playoff field is now set for the first College Football Playoff. After months of debates and heated discussions about which four teams are the best in the country, the first playoff selection committee for college football has had their say.
Alabama, SEC champion? In. They are the top seed, which will send them to the Sugar Bowl.
Oregon, Pac-12 champion. In. The Ducks are second in the playoff field, and will play in the Rose Bowl.
Florida State, ACC champion and defending national champion? In. They are seeded third, and will fly back to Pasadena to face the Ducks at the site of last year’s BCS national championship. Jameis Winston vs. Marcus Mariota in a battle of Heisman Trophy quarterbacks?
The biggest decision was which team would be the fourth team in. In year one of this new postseason model, that honor goes to Ohio State, champions of the Big Ten. Urban Meyer vs. Nick Saban in the Sugar Bowl is your semifinal match-up.
Sorry Baylor (No. 5) and TCU (No. 6).
The co-Big 12 champions were locked out of the first College Football Playoff. Was it the lack of conference championship game in the conference that states it is the home of one true champion? Or was the committee swayed enough by the rise of Ohio State down the stretch enough to overcome the impact of a loss early in the season at home against Virginia Tech?
TCU took the biggest fall from last week’s ranking. The Horned Frogs were ranked third in the playoff rankings and blew out Iowa State. Clearly, despite the favorable position given to them last week was not enough to hang on in a win-and-in situation. Finally, the head-to-head result in favor of Baylor had an impact, but ultimately Baylor and TCU are each losers in the first year of this new playoff model.
Your College Football Playoff Match-Ups
Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. Ohio State
Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Florida State
So there you have it. The debates are over, the field is set. Now there is nothing more to do than let the national championship be decided on the field.