College football playoff set: Bama, Oregon, FSU, Ohio State in
It’ll be Alabama vs. Ohio State and Oregon vs. Florida State in the semifinals of the inaugural College Football Playoff.
The selection committee unveiled the four-team playoff bracket early this afternoon. Left out of the field: Big 12 co-champions Baylor and TCU.
Beyond the playoff, other bowl matchups also are being announced today. Georgia Tech got a berth in the prestigious Orange Bowl against Mississippi State, while Atlanta’s upgraded Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl drew a matchup of TCU versus Ole Miss. Georgia will face Louisville in Charlotte’s Belk Bowl.
In the playoff committee’s final rankings, SEC champion Alabama is No. 1, Pac-12 champ Oregon No. 2, ACC champ Florida State No. 3 and Big Ten champ Ohio State No. 4.
The committee moved Ohio State into the top four — and thus into the playoff —in the aftermath of the Buckeyes’ 59-0 victory over Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game Saturday. The Buckeyes were ranked No. 5 last week, but replaced TCU — last week’s No. 3 — in the top four.
Baylor, ranked No. 6 last week, inched up to No. 5 today, while TCU dropped to No. 6.
The Alabama-Ohio State game will be played in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans and the Oregon-Florida State game in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Calif., both on New Year’s Day.
The winners will meet in the national championship game in the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Jan. 12.
About the Author
Tim Tucker, a long-time AJC sports reporter, often writes about the business side of the games. He also had stints as the AJC's Braves beat writer, UGA beat writer, sports notes columnist and executive sports editor. He was deputy managing editor of America's first all-sports newspaper, The National Sports Daily.
