On Sunday, December 3rd, the College Football Playoff Selection Committee assembled to select who they considered the four best teams in NCAA FBS football: the Michigan Wolverines, Washington Huskies, Texas Longhorns and Alabama Crimson Tide. The task of the thirteen-member committee, at least in theory, sounds simple. In reality, however, their decision is anything but straightforward.
There are over 130 NCAA Division I FBS football teams in the United States, across eleven conferences. Many teams finish with perfect or near-perfect records and have uniquely talented players destined for the NFL. First and foremost, teams’ records play a major role in selection. Two of the four teams selected this year were undefeated, and the other two only lost on one occasion. All four teams were champions of their conferences. A team’s so-called “strength of schedule” also holds value (wins against nationally ranked teams and common opponents matter when comparing the seasons of teams, as do head-to-head matchups).
This year, Michigan earned the number one overall seed, after a 13-0 season with notable wins over rivals Ohio State, Michigan State and nationally ranked Penn State. They also beat Iowa by 26-0 to win the Big Ten Championship. Some of their best players include running back Blake Corum, quarterback JJ McCarthy, defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, cornerback Will Johnson and lineman Zak Zinter.
The University of Washington Huskies earned the CFP’s second seed. They also finished with a 13-0 record, with wins over nationally recognized Arizona and Oregon State and two victories over conference rivals Oregon to win the Pac-12 Championship this year. Washington’s team is led by quarterback Michael Penix Jr., linebacker Zion Tupuola-Fetui, running back Dillon Johnson and cornerback Dominique Hampton.
The Texas Longhorns and Alabama Crimson Tide were controversially selected as the third and fourth seed, respectively. Both sustained notable defeats over the season; Alabama was defeated in week 2 by Texas, which was subsequently defeated by Oklahoma in week 6. While both teams brought talented players to the playoffs, their selection received substantial criticism from fans around the country, with slim margins separating them from other programs.
Florida State was snubbed, following an undefeated ACC Championship season, in an unprecedented decision from the committee. This year will be the first in which an undefeated team from a Power 5 conference has not been selected to the playoff. Their season included notable wins over LSU and Louisville, but the injury of star quarterback Jordan Travis marred their last two games. This injury, the committee argued, was too substantial to overlook in selection; according to chairman Boo Corrigan, “They are a different team [without Travis].” In this year’s Orange Bowl, Florida State will face reigning national champions Georgia, who missed out on the playoffs after a three-point loss against Alabama in the SEC Championship game.
College Football Playoff selections never fail to garner controversy, but this year’s decision was one of the most contentious yet. Florida State’s rejection, to the benefit of perennial competitor Alabama, was hard to look past for many fans. Many support the decision to implement a twelve-team playoff starting next year. Proponents say this will level the playing field for smaller programs and eliminate the controversial decisions made by the committee each year. Nevertheless, the matchups this season are as exciting as ever. First-seed Michigan will face fourth-seed Alabama in the Rose Bowl, and second-seed Washington will face third-seed Texas in the Sugar Bowl. Both games are scheduled for January 1, 2024. The winners will face off on January 8th to crown the 2023/2024 National Champions.
