Now that Championship Weekend is in the books, the sights are now set on Bowl Season in the College Football World. But as it approaches, the debate focuses on the selection for the CFP (College Football Playoff) and the other top NY6 bowl games. The recent release of the final top 25 rankings present some controversial decisions by the playoff selection committee. On Sunday the 20th, the NY6 matchups were also announced marking some of the bowl schedules biggest games.
With an impressive offensive showing, Alabama escaped with a victory against Florida in the SEC championship, and sealed their fate as the official #1 sending themselves to the CFP. Mac Jones, Najee Harris, and Devonta Smith led the charge for Bama with their multiple Heisman performances in a 52-point explosion for the Tide offense.
Over in the Big-10 , Ohio State finished their undefeated season that was cut short due to the Covid 19 issues that the team has faced. In their win against Northwestern, the OSU offense faced some struggles, but an incredible outing for running back Trey Sermon led their path to victory in the Big-10 Championship.
Although there were little playoff implications for the game, Oklahoma improved their streak winning their 5th straight Big-12 Championship. After a rough start to the season, the Sooners were able to make good of their second chance in their rematch against Iowa State.
In a very short season for all Pac-12 teams, USC matched up against a replacement Oregon squad, as Washington faced Coronavirus issues which forced them out of playing in the Pac-12 Championship. Surprisingly, an undefeated USC wasn’t able to contain the Ducks as they are now back to back Pac-12 Champions.
Lastly, in what was the most anticipated game this week, the rematch of Clemson and Notre Dame in the ACC Championship turned out to be a one sided affair. Clemson, this time around with starting Quarterback Trevor Lawrence went on to dominate ND in a 34-10 victory crowning themselves ACC champs.
Following these results the college football playoff committee announced the top 4 that will compete in the CFP. #1 Alabama will verse #4 Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl, which for this year only, will be played in Austin, Texas at AT&T Stadium. This is due to California’s shutdown of outdoor events. The other contest will be a rematch of last year's playoff semifinal as #2 Clemson will go up against #3 Ohio State.
Outside of the top 4, Texas A&M falls at #5 after having a terrific season with their only loss being at the hands of Alabama. Oklahoma jumps up to #6 in the final rankings as well after winning their conference championship.
The NY6 Bowl Schedule was also released after the results of the top 25, and featured some prime-time matchups including:
(5) Texas A&M vs. (13) North Carolina - Capital One Orange Bowl
(6) Oklahoma vs. (7) Florida - Goodyear Cotton Bowl
(8) Cincinnati vs. (9) Georgia - Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
(10) Iowa State vs. (25) Oregon - Playstation Fiesta Bowl
Many questions now loom about the selections for both the playoff and the top bowls. For instance both an undefeated Coastal Carolina and one loss Indiana were left out of the NY6 bowls. But more importantly, the discussion on who would be chosen to the 4 playoff spots loomed abroad the entire weekend leading up to the announcement.
After the SEC championship, the undefeated Alabama team seemed to be a clear choice. Same can be said for Clemson as they took down Notre Dame in a one sided showdown. As for Notre Dame and Ohio State, speculation had sparked on whether they deserved a selection. Both an impressive Texas A&M lineup and AAC undefeated champion Cincinnati made strong cases to be selected to the playoff.
Ohio State, a team that tends to compete at a high level every year, only played a total of 6 games this season. Even though they still went undefeated, coaches such as Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney were opposed to OSU’s selection choice as they only played a total of 6 games. Notre Dame’s playoff hopes were also in jeopardy after being wiped off the field in the ACC championship versus Clemson. Representatives from Cincinnati, Texas A&M, and others around the country have voiced their frustrations on the recent choices.
Let us hear your opinions on our latest instagram post in the comments. Who do you think should’ve made the playoff? Which bowl matchup are you most excited for? Which matchups are you upset that you won’t get to see?
Well done!