College Football Playoffs: Alabama No. 1, Joined By Upstart Cincinnati, Big Ten’s Michigan, SEC’s Georgia

College Football Playoffs: Alabama No. 1, Joined By Upstart Cincinnati, Big Ten’s Michigan, SEC’s Georgia

The final ranking are in for the College Football Playoff field. The No. 1 seed is Alabama, fresh off its victory over previous No. 1 Georgia in the SEC championship.


The Crimson Tide will be joined by Michigan, the Big Ten Title winner by 42-3 over Iowa; Cincinnati, the first Group of Five team to make the final playoffs; and Georgia, sneaking in despite its 41-24 loss to Alabama.


The first round of the playoffs will be held Dec. 31. Alabama vs. Cincinnati will be held at the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas. Georgia will meet Michigan on the same day at the Orange Bowl in Miami.

Notre Dame and Ohio State were fifth and sixth in the final rankings, just missing out on the playoff. The rest of the Top 25 will be revealed later today.


This is the seventh appearance in the playoff for Alabama, which moves one ahead of Clemson for most overall selections since the system began in 2014. Georgia will be making its second trip to the semifinals. It’s also the first time for Michigan.



Winners of the Dec. 31 games will meet in the College Football Playoff championship game on Jan. 10 in Indianapolis.


The rest of the New Year’s Six bowls will see Utah and Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Baylor is confirmed to the Sugar Bowl with Mississippi as its likely opponent, the announcement expected later today.