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The Ohio State Buckeyes’ journey to repeat as College Football Playoff national champions took its first step Sunday, as they were one of 12 teams to make the College Football Playoff.
The first four teams were practically ready for the final reveal. The biggest change came after the Big Ten Championship when the Indiana Hoosiers pulled off a thrilling upset over the Buckeyes.
Indiana, Ohio State, Georgia and Texas Tech received a bye in the playoffs. The Hoosiers were No. 1, the Buckeyes were No. 2, the Bulldogs were No. 3 and the Red Raiders were No. 4.
While those teams were ultimately set in stone as the top programs heading into the final reveal, it was the bottom 12 that were going to cause a bit more controversy.
The Miami Hurricanes and BYU Cougars were on the outside looking down the field in the second-to-last standings. The committee left two spots open for the conference champions to enter the field as the 11th and 12th seeds. But there was a little more chaos than expected on Saturday.
Texas Tech defeated BYU in the Big 12 Championship, while the Duke Blue Devils defeated the Virginia Cavaliers to win the ACC Championship. Meanwhile, the Alabama Crimson Tide, ranked No. 9 last week, suffered its third loss of the season in a 21-point loss in the SEC Championship against Georgia.
The James Madison Dukes and Tulane Green Wave each won their conference titles, which could have catapulted them into the playoff picture as two of the best conference champions outside of the power conferences.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish also came in with some questions, as they were ranked No. 10 last week and did not play in a conference championship due to their independent status. Notre Dame lost to Miami in the first game of the season and also lost to Texas A&M. But since then they have won every game. For what it’s worth, Miami had losses to Louisville and SMU during the year.
The College Football Playoff Committee had a lot to decide before Sunday.
After the top four finishers were decided, the rest of the group 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 in last week’s reveal. Notre Dame was left off the field after being on the field, according to the second-to-last standings.
Duke, the ACC champions, did not make the final field.
This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
