The four-team playoff has been set.
No. 1 Clemson will take on No. 4 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and No. 2 Oklahoma will face No. 3 Georgia in the Rose Bowl for the semifinals of the College Football Playoff on Jan. 1.
The Tigers, Sooners, and Bulldogs all punched their tickets with conference championship victories. However, many wondered if the Big Ten champ would get in, or be left out with then-No. 5 Alabama waiting just outside. With two losses, the CFP Committee decided that Ohio State’s two losses overshadowed its big victories as the Buckeyes finished ranked fifth.
With the No. 4 spot, Alabama has now made it in the College Football Playoff every year and will face Clemson once again in a high-stakes showdown. Both the Crimson Tide and Tigers battled for the national championship the two previous years.
This time, however, both will be playing for a spot in the title game. If Georgia and Alabama win, it will be the first time in playoff history that two teams from the same conference (SEC) will battle for the title.
Georgia is seeking its first national championship since 1980, the longest active drought among teams in the CFP. The semifinal winners will then play for the championship on Jan. 8 in Atlanta.
The rest of the New Year’s Six bowls is as follows:
No. 8 USC (11-2) vs. No. 5 Ohio State (11-2) (Cotton Bowl)
No. 11 Washington (10-2) vs. No. 9 Penn State (10-2) (Fiesta Bowl)
No. 10 Miami (11-1) vs. No. 6 Wisconsin (12-1) (Orange Bowl)
No. 12 UCF (12-0) vs. No. 7 Auburn (10-3) (Peach Bowl)
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