The final College Football Playoff rankings were released on Sunday and the matchups on New Year’s Day will be as follows:
No. 1 Alabama vs. #4 Notre Dame (Rose Bowl) *Game will be played in Arlington, Texas due to the Rose Bowl not allowing fans due to COVID-19.
No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Ohio State (Allstate Sugar Bowl- (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Breaking down how each of the four teams made their way onto the sports biggest stage:
Alabama Crimson Tide (11-0): Alabama is the clear-cut favorite to win the national championship entering the 2021 College Football Playoffs. Alabama found themselves in a shootout with the University of Florida in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday night. Alabama ended up prevailing 52-46 which locked up their number one ranking. The only intrigue in the SEC Championship Game was if the Crimson Tide were to lose, would the Florida Gators be able to wiggle their way in as one of the four playoff teams. Alabama will be tough to beat this year.
Clemson Tigers (10-1): Clemson was able to avenge their loss to Notre Dame from early November in the ACC Championship Game. The Tigers put forth a dominating performance on Saturday night, clobbering Notre Dame 34-10 in a game that was nowhere near as close as the score would indicate. The Tigers led 31-3 at one point in the game. Clemson fans should take solace in the fact that no team has played Clemson close this season when future number one pick Trevor Lawrence has been under center. Lawrence was unable to play in the Tigers’ first matchup with Notre Dame because of testing positive for COVID-19.
Ohio State Buckeyes (6-0): Ohio State needed a plethora of things to break their way to find themselves in the playoff and that ended up being the case. Ohio State, due to being a member of the Big Ten, did not play their first game until October 24. Ohio State also struggled to put away Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship Game, but were able to get the job done in the second half. The playoff committee chose to overlook the Buckeyes only playing six games, the least of any team in the playoff, and a lackluster schedule that included teams like Penn State, Michigan State, and Rutgers. These teams were a combined 6-16 in 2020. Ohio State will have to play much better if they want to keep the game close against Clemson.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-1): As was mentioned previously, the Fighting Irish were completely dismantled by Clemson on Saturday. The fact that Notre Dame was outclassed against a full strength Clemson team, and because the Fighting Irish have struggled in the playoff as of late, put Notre Dame’s standing as one of the four best teams in the country in a state of flux. Ultimately, Notre Dame’s body of work was too good for the committee to leave them out, but if Notre Dame plays like they did against Clemson in the ACC Championship Game, the Rose Bowl will be over by the second quarter.
Which teams were left out of the College Football Playoff?
Texas A&M Aggies (8-1): The Aggies knew entering their game on Saturday against Tennessee, the only way they would be in the playoff is if either Ohio State or Clemson lost. Since the favorites held serve on championship weekend, the Aggies were left on the outside looking in as they were ranked No. 5 in the final rankings before the bowl games. The Aggies have a case to be made regarding how they were unfairly kept out of the playoff. Texas A&M will play North Carolina in the Capital One Orange Bowl to finish off their season.
Oklahoma Sooners (8-2): The Sooners were ranked No. 6 in the updated rankings after winning the Big 12 Championship. The Sooners were never able to overcome a slow start to their season, losing two of their first three games, and the committee was never going to let in a two-loss conference champion. Oklahoma will face No.7 Florida in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.
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