In college football, four of the best teams in the United States will be selected by the college playoff committee to have an opportunity to compete for the college football championship.
This year is the first college football playoff without Alabama or Clemson. The college football ranking was released on December 4, and the first four teams were selected to compete.
Georgia is ranked as the best in college football, and Michigan is in second place. Both teams are undefeated and have a record of 13-0.
Georgia won 50-30 in the SEC Championship against LSU. Georgia scored first after blocking a field goal from LSU and running for a touchdown.
Michigan won 43-22 in the Big Ten Championship against Purdue, and because Michigan won last year, it was their first back-to-back Big Ten Championship since the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Michigan is in the playoff for the second consecutive year.
TCU is ranked third and was undefeated until losing to Kansas State on December 3 in the Big 12 Championship. The game was 28-20, with Kansas State leading when TCU scored a touchdown and a two-point conversion, making the game tied. TCU tried to get a touchdown at fourth down but could not score. Kansas State won 31-28 with a field goal, and TCU has a record of 12-1. TCU is the first Texas school to be in the college football playoff after not being selected in 2014.
Before December 4, USC was ranked fourth, but on December 2, USC lost to Utah in the Pac-12 Championship, making their record 11-2. That means they will not be selected to compete, as Ohio State is 11-1 and has only one loss, making their record better than USC. USC was the favorite to win, but quarterback Caleb Williams was injured in the first quarter. USC was leading 17-3 in the first quarter, but after the injury, Utah led USC 44-7, making the final 47-24. Utah won the Pac-12 Championship for a second year after winning in 2021 and will play in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on January 2 against Penn State. After December 4, USC was ranked tenth, meaning they were not selected. It is not the end of the USC season, as they will play their last game on January 2 in the Sugar Bowl Classic in Arlington, Texas, against Tulane.
Ohio State is ranked fourth and has a record of 11-1. Their only loss was to Michigan on November 26, when they lost 45-23.
Alabama was hoping to be selected for the college football playoff, but with a record of 10-2, they were not set. Last year, Alabama played in the final in the college football playoff and lost to Georgia. Before the teams were selected, head coach Nick Saban said that Alabama deserves to be in the college football playoff. He said they lost to two teams ranked in the top 10, and one of the teams they lost to was a team ranked in the top five, which happened in the last plays. He also said that the college playoff committee should not just look at how many losses a team has, but they should also look at who are the best teams. However, Alabama has only two wins against ranked teams. Alabama was ranked fifth, and after the teams were selected, Saban said that he was disappointed. It is the first season since 2019 that Alabama was not selected. Alabama will play its last game on December 31 in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans against Kansas State.
In the semifinal, the team ranked first will play the team ranked fourth, and the team ranked second will play the team ranked third. That means Georgia will play Ohio State, and Michigan will play TCU. Georgia and Michigan are the favorites to win the semifinal. Both games will be on December 31. The final will be played between the winners of the college football championship, which will be in Inglewood, California, on January 9.
Georgia is the favorite against Ohio State, but Georgia does not have a strong defense, and Ohio State has a potent offense. However, Georgia has quarterback Stetson Bennett. Georgia was the college football champion last year and is trying to win the first back-to-back national championship since the start of the college football playoff.
Michigan is the favorite against TCU, but TCU is vital because they have quarterback Max Duggan and running back Kendre Miller running 1,300 yards during the season. TCU also made five comebacks after having at least seven fewer points than the other team. However, their problem is that they are only vital on offense. Michigan is ranked third on defense and also has a potent offense, with running back Donovan Edwards running 400 yards in two games after running back Blake Corum was injured. Last year, Michigan lost in the semifinal to Georgia 34-11. Also, if Ohio State wins against Georgia and Michigan wins against TCU, Michigan will play against Ohio State again after winning against Ohio State on November 26. Georgia is the favorite to win the national championship, and Michigan has not won a national title since 1997.
The Heisman Trophy finalists will be announced on December 5, and the ceremony will be on December 10. USC quarterback Caleb Williams is the favorite to win, followed by Ohio State quarterback C. J. Stroud, TCU quarterback Max Duggan, Michigan running back Blake Corum, and Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett.
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