Tide on top; Cincinnati makes history

Cincinnati made college football history by becoming the first Group of Five team to qualify for the College Football Playoff, taking the No. 4 spot in Sunday’s final rankings.

After weeks of speculation about their postseason résumé, the Bearcats (13-0) earned a chance to compete in the semifinals with a strong 35-21 win over Houston in the American Athletic Conference championship game on Saturday.

Cincinnati faces No. 1 Alabama (12-1) in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 31 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Alabama secured the top seed for the fifth time in playoff history after upsetting Georgia 41-24 in the SEC championship game. The Crimson Tide rallied from a 10-point first-half deficit to outscore the Bulldogs 41-14 over the final 45 minutes.

After beating Iowa 42-3 in the Big Ten championship game, Michigan (12-1) earned the No. 2 seed. The Wolverines face No. 3 Georgia (12-1) in the Orange Bowl, also on Dec. 31, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It’s the first time Michigan has qualified for the playoff since its inception in 2014.

These two programs have met twice previously, the last time in 1965.

The discussion heading into Sunday’s announcement centered on whether Alabama or Michigan would take the top spot. In the end, CFP Chairman Gary Barta said it all came down to the Crimson Tide’s impressive victory over Georgia that sealed the deal.

“You add that to their body of work ... the committee came out of there with a strong consensus that Alabama was (No.) 1 and Michigan (No.) 2,” Barta said during his interview with ESPN.

The College Football Playoff national championship game is Jan. 10 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

The New Year’s Six matchups:

No. 10 Michigan State (10-2) will take on No. 12 Pittsburgh (11-2) in the Peach Bowl on Dec. 30. It’s the first New Year’s Six game for each, but Michigan State did appear in the CFP semifinals in 2015.

After missing out on the semifinals, No. 5 Notre Dame (11-1) faces No. 9 Oklahoma State (11-2) in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1. It’s the third New Year’s Six game in the last four seasons for the Irish, who will welcome Marcus Freeman as their new coach. Oklahoma State came up inches short of winning the Big 12 championship game, losing to Baylor 21-16.

No. 6 Ohio State (10-2) travels to Pasadena for its first Rose Bowl (Jan. 1) appearance since 2018. The Buckeyes face No. 11 Utah (10-3), which captured its first Pac-12 championship with a 39-10 win over No. 14 Oregon on Saturday. This is the first Rose Bowl for the Utes.

No. 7 Baylor (11-2) will take on No. 8 Ole Miss (10-2) in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1.