The College Football Playoff pairings were announced on Sunday with Alabama (13-0), Clemson (12-1), Ohio State (11-1) and Washington (12-1) getting an opportunity to become the national champion.
"Over the course of the past six weeks, we routinely discussed our protocol, results on the field, as well as the various statistics that inform our decisions," committee chairman Kirby Hocutt said. "Fundamentally, we kept in mind that our job is to determine who are the best teams. That is what we did."
"There was no debate about Alabama being ranked No. 1," Hocutt said of the Southeastern Conference champions. "They are an exceptionally strong team and have been all season. There was no debate about that over the course of the past couple of days."
Alabama defeated No. 17 Florida 54-16 to win the SEC crown last Saturday.
Clemson switched spots with an idle Ohio State this week, after the Tigers beat No. 22 Virginia Tech 42-35 in the Atlantic Coast Conference title affair.
"The Tigers have beaten four of our ranked teams, more than anybody except Alabama," Hocutt said. "Ohio State, also with just one loss, built one of the best resumes in the country against one of the most difficult schedules, capped by its win over Michigan."
No. 5 Penn State (11-2) was close to jumping into the championship field after the Nittany Lions claimed the Big 10 title with a 38-31 win over No. 8 Wisconsin.
"As for the No. 4 slot, we talked about it at great, great length," Hocutt said. "It was a close call between Washington and Penn State. The committee discussed why each team could be ranked No. 4."
"Washington had one loss, Penn State has two," Hocutt added. "Washington is a conference champion. So is Penn State. Washington's one loss is to top 10 Southern California. Penn State's losses are against an 8-4 team, and they were non-competitive in their other loss."
Penn State lost 42-39 to No. 23 Pittsburgh and then 49-10 at No. 6 Michigan.
Washington beat No. 10 Colorado 41-10 last Friday to win the PAC-12 title.
"Let me remind you, as you know, we pick the best teams," Hocutt said. "After considerable conversation about whether Washington or Penn State was better, the committee concluded that Washington is the better team."
College Football Playoff Pairings
Saturday, Dec. 31
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta, Ga.
No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Washington
PlayStation Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Ariz.
No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Ohio State
Monday, Jan. 9
National Championship Game in Tampa, Fla.
Bowl Games
College Football Playoff Rankings (Dec. 4)
1. Alabama (13-0)
2. Clemson (12-1)
3. Ohio State (11-1)
4. Washington (12-1)5
5. Penn State (11-2)
6. Michigan (10-2)
7. Oklahoma (10-2)
8. Wisconsin (10-3)
9. USC (9-3)
10. Colorado (10-3)
11. Florida State (9-3)
12. Oklahoma State (9-3)
13. Louisville (9-3)
14. Auburn (8-4)
15. Western Michigan (13-0)
16. West Virginia (10-2)
17. Florida (8-4)
18. Stanford (9-3)
19. Utah (8-4)
20. LSU (7-4)
21. Tennessee (8-4)
22. Virginia Tech (9-4)
23. Pittsburgh (8-4)
24. Temple (10-3)
25. Navy (9-3)
Editor’s note: Quotes, photos and logos courtesy of CollegePressBox.com.
