Sam Craft/Associated Press
The four programs entered into the College Football Playoff did not come as a surprise to anyone who watched Sunday’s final rankings release.
The primary questions circled around the order of the Alabama Crimson Tide, Michigan Wolverines, Georgia Bulldogs and Cincinnati Bearcats.
Alabama’s spot atop the CFB Playoff rankings was foreshadowed by its place at No. 1 in the AP Top 25. Michigan, Georgia and Cincinnati followed the Crimson Tide in that order.
The CFB Playoff rankings carried the same order as the AP poll. Top-ranked Alabama will face No. 4 Cincinnati, while No. 2 Michigan squares off with No. 3 Georgia.
Alabama beat Georgia in the SEC Championship Game to gain the No. 1 overall ranking. Nick Saban‘s team will head to Texas to play Cincinnati in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger pointed out the pros of playing in Dallas instead of in Miami for the Orange Bowl. He noted the decision was an easy choice for Alabama.
Georgia has to wait until the CFB National Championship to get another shot at Alabama. The Bulldogs are headed to the Orange Bowl to face Michigan.
Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde outlined how exciting both of the matchups could be on December 31:
Max Olson of The Athletic pointed out that any debate on ESPN, or elsewhere, about Alabama facing Georgia again in the semifinal was not needed:
CFB Playoff committee chair Gary Barta broke down the differences between Alabama and Michigan for the No. 1 spot, per AL.com’s Mike Rodak.
Alabama’s national semifinal opponent received the most praise on Selection Sunday, as Cincinnati became the first Group of Five team to qualify for the playoff in its current iteration.
Cincinnati football’s official Twitter account produced one of many celebratory tweets once the team’s spot became official.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish, whose only loss came to Cincinnati, was the first team out in Sunday’s rankings.
Notre Dame finished at No. 5, while the Ohio State Buckeyes moved up to No. 6 after the Oklahoma State Cowboys lost to the Baylor Bears in the Big 12 Championship Game.
Yahoo’s Pete Thamel pointed out the heavy midwestern footprint on the top part of the final rankings:
Ralph Russo of the Associated Press and CBS Sports’ Ben Kercheval were among the people questioning Ohio State at No. 6 over Baylor.
Ohio State will play in the Rose Bowl against the Pac-12 champion Utah Utes, while Baylor is headed for a New Year’s Six game as well as the Big 12 winner.
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