Georgia’s path to the College Football Playoff got long, difficult and perhaps impassable Saturday night when two other teams positioning for the only four playoff spots won their conference championship games and stayed unbeaten.
Michigan beat Iowa 26-0 for the Big Ten championship and Florida State edged Louisville 16-6 for the ACC title. Both Michigan and FSU are 13-0 while Georgia is 12-1. Washington, also 13-0, won the Pac-12 title Friday night. Georgia lost to No. 8 Alabama, which is also 12-1, in the SEC title game earlier Saturday. Texas is 12-1 too and won the Big 12 title, but it beat Alabama this season.
No Power Five team has ever gone unbeaten, won its conference title and failed to make the playoff.
The field for the playoff will be set Sunday at noon on ESPN. It will expand to 12 teams next year.
Wolverines cruise: Blake Corum scored twice, tying the school record for touchdown runs with 55, for No. 2 Michigan, which appears likely to take the top seed in the playoff.
With coach Jim Harbaugh back on the sideline for the first time in four weeks, the Wolverines routed Iowa (10-3) to win three straight outright conference crowns for the first time in school history.
Seminoles survive: Florida State played without its top two quarterbacks but used a dominant defensive performance to beat No. 15 Louisville for the fourth-ranked Seminoles’ first ACC championship since 2014.
The Seminoles’ offense struggled but the defense had a season-high seven sacks and a critical interception that kept Louisville out of the end zone.
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