Georgia, Michigan, TCU and Ohio State will play for the national championship after being chosen for the College Football Playoff on Sunday.
After not playing in a conference championship game, the Buckeyes (11-1) moved up one spot following USC’s loss in the Pac-12 title game Friday to give the Big Ten two playoff teams for the first time in the format’s nine-year history.
No. 4 Ohio State will face No. 1 Georgia in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, and No. 2 Michigan will face No. 3 TCU in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31.
The CFP National Championship will be played Jan. 9 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
Georgia opened as a 7-point favorite over Ohio State at Caesars Sportsbook, and Michigan is a 9-point favorite over TCU.
TCU (12-1) held on to its No. 3 ranking after losing in overtime in the Big 12 championship game to Kansas State. The Horned Frogs and Buckeyes are the fifth and sixth teams to make the College Football Playoff without winning a conference title.
Alabama (10-2) had hoped to make a jump into the top four following USC’s and TCU’s losses. The Crimson Tide were ranked fifth by the selection committee.
Committee chairman Boo Corrigan said Ohio State’s big wins over Penn State and Notre Dame helped push the Buckeyes in over Alabama.
