College Football Playoff 2016: Complete matchups
By John Buhler
The College Football Playoff Selection Committee has revealed the four teams that will be playing in the Playoff this season. Who are the four teams in?
The College Football Playoff Selection Committee has revealed its top four for the third annual College Football Playoff on Sunday, Dec. 4.
The first three teams announced were the Alabama Crimson, the Clemson Tigers, and the Ohio State Buckeyes. All three teams went in succession, one, two, and three. After a brief delay, the Washington Huskies would be the No. 4 seed, edging out the No. 5 Penn State Nittany Lions and the No. 6 Michigan Wolverines
Alabama won the SEC Championship over the Florida Gators and is the only undefeated team left in the Power 5 at 13-0. The Crimson Tide chose to play their national semifinal game at the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. They will face the Pac-12 Champion Huskies on Saturday, Dec. 31 on New Year’s Eve.
Clemson won the ACC Championship by outlasting the Virginia Tech Hokies in Orlando to earn the No. 2 national seed. The Tigers will play the first at-large team to make the College Football Playoff in No. 3 Ohio State. They will meet at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona to play in the Playstation Fiesta Bowl. That national semifinals will be on Saturday, Dec. 31 on New Year’s Eve.
What the Selection Committee told us is that conference championships mean a ton, but frankly not everything. Penn State defeated Ohio State head-to-head to win the Big Ten East division crown. The Nittany Lions would then defeat the Wisconsin Badgers in the 2016 Big Ten Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
The Selection Committee was more inclined to go with a one-loss at-large team from the Big Ten than a two-loss conference champion. Penn State lost to the Pittsburgh Panthers and Michigan during the 2016 regular season.
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The Nittany Lions will play presumably in the Rose Bowl against probably the USC Trojans or the Colorado Buffaloes of the Pac-12. Michigan would likely go to the Orange Bowl to play an ACC team.