Alabama, winner of the SEC, finished the season 13-0 and with a 54-16 thumping of Florida in the conference championship game. The Tide are trying to become the first team in the Playoff era to win back-to-back national championships. Alabama is the only team to make the Playoff in each of the first three years.
The ACC Champion Clemson Tigers are back in the Playoff for a second straight season. Clemson has been ranked in the Top 4 of every Playoff poll the past two seasons. The Tigers are 12-1 after holding off Virginia Tech 42-35 to win the ACC. Clemson won 10 games against bowl eligible teams, the most in the nation.
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| Clemson will play in its second straight CFB Playoff against Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. (Photo courtesy Clemson Athletics) |
Ohio State remained in the Top 4 despite not playing for a conference championship. The Buckeyes become the first team in the three seasons of the Playoff to accomplish that feat. Ohio State went 11-1 with only a three-point road loss to eventual Big Ten champion Penn State.
The final Playoff spot went to Pac-12 Champion Washington. The reward? Traveling across the country to take on the Crimson Tide in their backyard. The Huskies finished 12-1 with a 41-10 win over Colorado to claim the Pac-12 title. Washington is having its best season in a quarter-decade, when the Huskies won the 1991 national championship.
Left out of the Playoff this year are Penn State (11-2 and the Big Ten champions) and Oklahoma (10-2 and the Big 12 champions). The Nittany Lions' and Sooners' two losses did them in. Penn State lost twice in September to Pitt and Michigan, the latter a 39-point blowout in Ann Arbor. Oklahoma also lost twice in September to Houston and Ohio State, the latter a 21-point drubbing on OU's home field.
Michigan, which went 10-2, is also left on the outside looking in. The Wolverines closed the season with two road losses to Iowa and Ohio State in their final three games.
Here are the CFB Playoff and New Year's Six Bowls:
Playoff
Dec. 31
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Washington
PlayStation Fiesta Bowl: No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Ohio State
I would not to have put Ohio State in over Penn State, but that is why the Committee was created: to bring subjectivity into the rankings. Penn State beat Ohio State at home by three points essentially on a returned blocked field goal. To me, those two teams are on equal footing. By using the tie-breakers, the Committee had to choose between a body of work (including the out-of-conference schedule) and a conference championship. Ultimately, the folks in the room went with the body of work. Ohio State beat Oklahoma in Norman by 21. Penn State lost to Pittsburgh at Pitt by three. Additionally, Penn State had a second loss, whereas Ohio State had just one.
When debating the final spot between Penn State and Washington, the edge went to Washington, probably again because of a two-loss team vs. a one-loss team. Both were conference champions. Washington had a weak non-conference schedule, but thoroughly dominated every team it played. Penn State won, but not convincingly enough.
Alabama is going to be a shoe-in for the National Championship, but don't count out the Huskies. Washington is much bigger and stronger up front that most people realize.
Clemson and Ohio State met recently in the 2014 Orange Bowl (2013 season), with the Tigers winning a 40-35 thriller. The two teams are far different from back then, and this matchup is worth watching. If Bama reaches the National Championship, either of these teams are built to dethrone the defending champs.
One final note, we figured Clemson would jump Ohio State by winning a conference championship. But why Washington didn't do the same is a little puzzling. Perhaps it comes down to overall résumés, but we've been told in the past that conference championships matter more. That didn't seem to be the case this year.
Gotta love the Playoff.
When debating the final spot between Penn State and Washington, the edge went to Washington, probably again because of a two-loss team vs. a one-loss team. Both were conference champions. Washington had a weak non-conference schedule, but thoroughly dominated every team it played. Penn State won, but not convincingly enough.
Alabama is going to be a shoe-in for the National Championship, but don't count out the Huskies. Washington is much bigger and stronger up front that most people realize.
Clemson and Ohio State met recently in the 2014 Orange Bowl (2013 season), with the Tigers winning a 40-35 thriller. The two teams are far different from back then, and this matchup is worth watching. If Bama reaches the National Championship, either of these teams are built to dethrone the defending champs.
One final note, we figured Clemson would jump Ohio State by winning a conference championship. But why Washington didn't do the same is a little puzzling. Perhaps it comes down to overall résumés, but we've been told in the past that conference championships matter more. That didn't seem to be the case this year.
Gotta love the Playoff.
New Year's Six
Dec. 30
Capital One Orange Bowl: No. 6 Michigan vs. No. 11 Florida State
Jan. 2
Goodyear Cotton Bowl: No. 8 Wisconsin vs. No. 15 Western Michigan
Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual: No. 5 Penn State vs. No. 9 USC
Allstate Sugar Bowl: No. 7 Oklahoma vs. No. 14 Auburn
All of these matchups were pretty much predicted based on the last set of rankings. The Orange, Rose and Sugar all have tie-ins with conferences that required them to take either a conference champion or the next highest-rated team from that conference (if the champ is in the Playoff).
The Orange Bowl took Florida State as the next team from the ACC and Michigan as the next team from either the Big Ten, SEC or Notre Dame. Florida State leapt Louisville, despite the Cardinals 63-20 win over the Seminoles. FSU closed the season strong, while Louisville dropped two straight to Houston and Kentucky.
The Rose Bowl takes the Pac-12 and Big Ten. Since Penn State didn't make the Playoff, the Big Ten champs head west to Pasadena. The Rose then selected USC from the Pac-12 instead of Colorado. This one irks me because I feel like Colorado should be rewarded with the Rose Bowl for its tremendous season. USC won eight straight after a 1-3 start, but the Buffs won the Pac-12 South after not making a bowl.
The Sugar Bowl selects teams from the Big 12 and SEC. Oklahoma won the Big 12 and did not make the Playoff, thus the Sooners are headed to New Orleans. Auburn was rated the next highest SEC team all the way at No. 14. Auburn finished the season 8-4 with losses to Clemson, Texas A&M, Georgia and Alabama.
Western Michigan finished as the highest ranked Group of 5 champion to earn the at-large bid to the Cotton Bowl this season. The Broncos take on the next highest ranked team in the Playoff rankings, the Wisconsin Badgers.
BENched will have more Playoff and NY6 breakdowns as these games approach.
All of these matchups were pretty much predicted based on the last set of rankings. The Orange, Rose and Sugar all have tie-ins with conferences that required them to take either a conference champion or the next highest-rated team from that conference (if the champ is in the Playoff).
The Orange Bowl took Florida State as the next team from the ACC and Michigan as the next team from either the Big Ten, SEC or Notre Dame. Florida State leapt Louisville, despite the Cardinals 63-20 win over the Seminoles. FSU closed the season strong, while Louisville dropped two straight to Houston and Kentucky.
The Rose Bowl takes the Pac-12 and Big Ten. Since Penn State didn't make the Playoff, the Big Ten champs head west to Pasadena. The Rose then selected USC from the Pac-12 instead of Colorado. This one irks me because I feel like Colorado should be rewarded with the Rose Bowl for its tremendous season. USC won eight straight after a 1-3 start, but the Buffs won the Pac-12 South after not making a bowl.
The Sugar Bowl selects teams from the Big 12 and SEC. Oklahoma won the Big 12 and did not make the Playoff, thus the Sooners are headed to New Orleans. Auburn was rated the next highest SEC team all the way at No. 14. Auburn finished the season 8-4 with losses to Clemson, Texas A&M, Georgia and Alabama.
Western Michigan finished as the highest ranked Group of 5 champion to earn the at-large bid to the Cotton Bowl this season. The Broncos take on the next highest ranked team in the Playoff rankings, the Wisconsin Badgers.
BENched will have more Playoff and NY6 breakdowns as these games approach.
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