On the afternoon of Sunday, December 5, the College Football Playoff (CFP) Selection Committee announced the 4 teams that would compete for the 10th national championship of the College Football Playoff era (2014-present). Following the defeat of previously #1 ranked Georgia in the SEC championship game, Michigan would move into the first seed at 13-0. The Washington Huskies grabbed the second spot after they completed their 13-0 regular season with a 34-31 win over Oregon in the Pac-12 championship. Washington will play the Texas Longhorns, who earned the 3rd seed after winning the Big-12 championship over Oklahoma State 49-21. The final spot, which would be surrounded by a lot of controversy, was awarded to the SEC champion Alabama Crimson Tide.
The main point of controversy surrounding the final spot was the fact that the Florida State Seminoles would miss out on the CFP despite being an undefeated power 5 conference champ. Florida State is the first team to fit that criteria and not make the playoffs. Alabama missing out on the playoffs would have been historic as well, as no SEC champion has missed out on the CFP. Many point to Florida State’s absence as “SEC bias” or the committee favoring teams from the SEC. However, the reasoning behind Florida State missing the CFP is likely not due to their team accomplishments or lack thereof, but rather it was their star quarterback Jordan Travis receiving a severe leg injury that would sideline him for the rest of the season. The absence of Travis as the head of the offense affected Florida State’s ability to score and falls under one of the committee’s criteria points: “Other relevant factors such as unavailability of key players and coaches that may have affected a team’s performance during the season or likely will affect its postseason performance.”
As for the teams that did qualify for the playoff, Michigan looks to cap their perfect season after beating arch rival Ohio State and winning the Big-10 championship with their first CFP era national championship. Washington is seeking the program and the Pac-12 conference’s first national championship. Texas is also seeking their first national championship during their first appearance in the CFP, while Alabama looks to capture their 4th championship of the era and extend the streak of SEC national champions to 5. Michigan are the current betting favorites to win it all at +160, while Washington, despite being the 2nd seed, is the longshot bet at +700.
Missing the CFP at the 5th spot won’t be a concern for teams in the 2024-25 season and onwards, as the playoff is expanding to 12 teams. The 12 teams that would have made this year’s playoffs in seed order are: Michigan, Washington, Texas, Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon, Missouri, Penn State, Ole Miss, and Oklahoma.
The CFP begins on New Year’s Day at 5:00 pm EST where Michigan will play Alabama in the Rose Bowl. The second semi final, Washington versus Texas, is at 8:45 pm EST, also on New Year’s Day. The national championship is set for Monday, January 8th at 7:30 pm EST.
