In the final year of the four-team College Football Playoff, there was some real drama surrounding what teams would make it into the semifinals and have a chance at the national championship. After a conference championship weekend that saw the true chaos scenario play out for the Playoff Committee, with Alabama beating Georgia, Texas beating Oklahoma State, and Florida State beating Louisville.
That meant Alabama, Georgia, and Texas all finished the season one loss — with Texas beating Alabama on the road earlier in the year, while Florida State became an undefeated conference champion now playing with their third-string quarterback. That led to some serious consternation about what teams should be selected behind Michigan and Washington, who cemented their spot in the Playoff by completing undefeated, conference title winning seasons.
Florida State, obviously, will point to them being the only other undefeated conference champ in the Power 5 as reason they belong. Texas, meanwhile, has one of the best wins of the season with a road win in Tuscaloosa, which makes it extremely difficult for the committee to justify keeping Bama ahead of the Longhorns. Alabama and Georgia’s case is, effectively, that the SEC is the consensus best conference and they each believe they’re one of the four best teams in the country, with the Tide boasting the only win over Georgia in three years.
Ultimately, the committee rolled with the Tide over the Noles, with Texas landing at No. 3 setting up these matchups for the semifinals on New Year’s Day.
Rose Bowl: 1. Michigan vs. 4. Alabama
Sugar Bowl: 2. Washington vs. 3. Texas
Florida State finished at No. 5 and Georgia finished at No. 6, meaning the committee chose to decide that an undefeated Power 5 conference champion was not deserving of a spot because of an injury situation. The Florida State team and its fans will be understandably furious at the decision. What makes it all the more interesting is that Alabama wasn’t a juggernaut following their loss to Texas, needing a miracle to beat a 6-win Auburn team just a week ago. And yet, the win over Georgia, which hadn’t lost in three years, was enough to get them in over the Noles, largely because of Florida State’s injury situation that had them very limited offensively against Louisville in the ACC title game.
