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.
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