The College Football Playoff committee delivered its final verdict Sunday, crowning a historic new number one while settling one of the season’s fiercest debates with a simple metric: the scoreboard.
For the first time in history, the Indiana Hoosiers (13-0) sit atop the college football world. Fresh off a Big Ten Championship upset over defending national champ Ohio State (12-1), the Hoosiers claimed the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye.
Joining them with automatic quarterfinal bids are the Buckeyes, SEC champion Georgia (12-1), and Big 12 winner Texas Tech (12-1).
The Bubble Bursts for the Irish
The drama centered on the final spots. The committee ultimately vaulted Miami past Notre Dame, leaving the Fighting Irish out of the bracket. While previous polls favored Notre Dame, Committee Chair Hunter Yuracheck cited the “one metric we had to fall back on”: Miami’s 27-24 head-to-head victory back in August.
A Power Conference Champ Left Home
In a rare twist, winning a Power conference didn’t guarantee a ticket. Duke (8-5), despite capturing their first outright ACC title since 1962, was left out.
The unranked Blue Devils were displaced by two higher-ranked Group of 5 champions: Tulane and James Madison, both of whom punched their tickets to the dance.
The First-Round Slate The playoffs kick off on campus sites December 19 and 20.
- Dec. 19: No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Oklahoma
- Dec. 20: No. 10 Miami at No. 7 Texas A&M
- Dec. 20: No. 11 Tulane at No. 6 Ole Miss
- Dec. 20: No. 12 James Madison at No. 5 Oregon
Winners will advance to face the top four seeds in the New Year’s Six bowls, culminating in the National Championship game on January 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
