Georgia, Michigan, TCU and Ohio State will play for the national championship after being selected for Sunday’s college football playoffs.
After not playing in a conference championship game, the Buckeyes (11-1) moved up a spot to challenge the Big Ten for the first time in the format’s nine-year history following USC’s loss in Friday’s Pac-12 title game to give two playoff teams.
Ohio State No. 4 meets No. 1 Georgia in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and No. 2 Michigan meets No. 3 TCU in the Dec. 31 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.
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Presented by AT&T, the CFP National Championship will be held on January 9th at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
Georgia opened at Caesars Sportsbook as a 7-point favorite over Ohio State, and Michigan is a 9-point favorite over TCU.
TCU (12-1) retained their third spot after losing to Kansas State in overtime in the Big 12 championship game. The Horned Frogs and Buckeyes are the fifth and sixth teams to make the college football playoffs without winning a conference title.
Horned Frogs coach Sonny Dykes said he was concerned about his team’s playoff status after the loss, but added that he had faith in the selection committee.
“I think we definitely deserve it,” said Dykes.
At a watch party for TCU players and staff on the Fort Worth, Texas campus, cheers erupted when the frogs landed in the bracket during the announcement show.
Alabama (10-2) had hoped to make a jump into the top four after USC and TCU losses, with coach Nick Saban lobbying his team on Saturday.
“If we were to play one of those teams that are about to get in, would we be the underdogs or the favourites?” Said Saban at halftime in the Big Ten championship on Fox.
The Crimson Tide was voted fifth place by the selection committee.
Committee chairman Boo Corrigan, NC State’s athletic director, said Ohio State’s big wins over Penn State and Notre Dame helped the Buckeyes win over Alabama.
“When we looked at the overall work, the committee was pleased with Ohio State at #4 and Alabama at #5,” Corrigan said in an interview on ESPN.
Corrigan also told ESPN’s Heather Dinich that three teams (TCU, Alabama and Ohio State) with no conference titles shifted the conversation in the room somewhat as they debated the merits of each.
“Of course things will change because it’s different than in the past,” he said, “but our aim is to look at the totality of the games played.”
Corrigan said there was significant discussion around Alabama, but without a conference title, CVs would be more considered. TCU’s regular-season win over Kansas State played a big part in the final decision — the committee was impressed with the Horned Frogs’ comeback and 10-point winning margin — but Corrigan said it was just one example of what the committee impressed.
“You think of TCU in the game against Baylor, getting on the field, running on the field, kicking the field goal speaks to a disciplined team, a well-rounded team,” he said. “We’re trying to look at everything we can as we delve into it.”
Georgia (13-0) and Michigan (13-0) are in the playoffs for the second straight year. They easily won their respective conference title games on Saturday and will be looking to become the fourth team to win the CFP with an unbeaten record.
The only time Georgia and Ohio State have played before was in the 1992 Citrus Bowl, a 21-14 Bulldogs win. TCU, whose only national title came in 1938, has never played Michigan.
Corrigan said the committee made no special effort to avoid a rematch between Ohio State and Michigan in a semifinal. The Buckeyes and Wolverines never played outside of their annual regular season game in a rivalry that dates back to 1902.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.