It was a wild championship week, with Alabama defeating Georgia in the SEC championship game, keeping the Bulldogs from competing for the national championship for the third straight year and putting the Crimson Tide in a head-to-head debate with the one team tangled that had defeated them this season. Texas. The Longhorns, who defeated the Tide by a comfortable 10 points on the road at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Week 2, ended their season with a dominant 49-21 win over Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship Game.
With just three undefeated Power Five teams remaining after the loss at Georgia – Michigan shut out Iowa and Florida State earned a tough battle to win over Louisville – Texas is now head-to-head due to the “Horns.” -Victory on September 9th.
The CFP Selection Committee will use criteria such as championships won, strength of schedule, head-to-head results (if applicable) and comparative results against common opponents in making its decision. Texas and Alabama both won conference titles on Saturday, and while the Horns have a stronger schedule, the Tide have more wins against CFP-ranked teams – four (including over No. 1) against three.
The SEC has sent at least one team to every playoff since the event began; However, this is a small thing, not a criterion. Additionally, no program has reached the playoffs if it is ranked No. 7 or lower in the penultimate CFP rankings; It looks like Texas is bucking that trend (in theory, Alabama could too).
College Football Playoffs
January 8th | National Championship | Title game | Semifinal winner |
| January 1st | Sugar bowl New Orleans | Semifinals | (1) Michigan vs. (4) Texas |
January 1st | Rose bowl | Semifinals | (2) Washington vs. (3) Florida State |
There are two other key changes to the forecasts. First, Alabama is now in the Orange Bowl instead of Ohio State.
The impact of this change is significant. If the Big Ten is in the Orange Bowl, the ACC gets the Big Ten’s spot in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa. Since the Orange Bowl now features an SEC team, some shuffling was done between the Big Ten and ACC bowls to accommodate the ReliaQuest Bowl returning to the Big Ten.
Another development took place in the determination of the Group of Five’s representative in the New Year’s Six. SMU defeated Tulane in the AAC Championship Game on Saturday, handing the Green Wave their second loss of the season, while Liberty remained undefeated with a two-touchdown win over New Mexico State on Friday in the Conference USA Championship Game.
Therefore, I predict that Liberty will overtake Tulane in the final CFP rankings, emerge as the top Group of Five team and secure a spot in the Fiesta Bowl against Oregon.
Six bowl games on New Year’s Day
Don’t see your team? Checkout Jerry Palms bowl projectionsnow completed after the conclusion of the championship week.