NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
The Ohio State Buckeyes’ journey to repeat as college football national champions took its first step Sunday as they were one of 12 teams to participate in the College Football Playoff.
The first four teams were pretty much ready for the final reveal. The major change came after the Big Ten Championship as the Indiana Hoosiers pulled off a thrilling upset against the Buckeyes.
Indiana, Ohio State, Georgia and Texas Tech earned a playoff bye. The Hoosiers were No. 1, the Buckeyes were No. 2, the Bulldogs were No. 3 and the Red Raiders were No. 4.
While these teams were finally set in stone as the top programs before the final reveal, it was the final 12 that would cause a bit more controversy.
The Miami Hurricanes and BYU Cougars were on the outside looking in on the field in the second-to-last standings. The committee left two spots open for the conference champions to take the field as the Nos. 11 and 12 seeds. But there was a little more chaos than expected Saturday.
Texas Tech knocked off BYU in the Big 12 Championship, while the Duke Blue Devils upset the Virginia Cavaliers to win the ACC Championship. Meanwhile, the Alabama Crimson Tide, ranked No. 9 last week, recorded its third loss of the season in a 21-point SEC Championship loss to Georgia.
The James Madison Dukes and Tulane Green Wave each won their conference titles, which could have catapulted them into the playoffs as two of the best conference champions outside of the power conferences.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish also posed some questions, as they were ranked No. 10 last week and did not compete in a conference championship due to their independent status. Notre Dame lost to Miami in the season opener and also lost to Texas A&M. But since then, they have won every match. For what it’s worth, Miami suffered losses to Louisville and SMU during the year.
The College Football Playoff committee had a lot to decide before Sunday.
Once the top four seeds were named, the rest of the draw was revealed.
No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 12 James Madison
No. 8 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 Alabama
No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 11 Tulane
No. 7 Texas A&M vs. No. 10 Miami
The Hurricanes were not in the playoffs during last week’s reveal. Notre Dame was kicked off the field after being on the field, according to the penultimate rankings.
Duke, the ACC champion, did not make the final field.
This is breaking news. Check back for updates.
