Michael Cardinal, FISM News
The College Football Playoff Committee chose which four teams would be competing for the National Championship after a slew of conference championship games on Saturday. The final rankings have Alabama in the top spot, followed by Michigan at #2, Georgia at #3, and Cincinnati at #4.
The Final Four… pic.twitter.com/flh7w3U6c9
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 5, 2021
Alabama and Georgia flipped spots in the ranking after the Crimson Tide decisively beat the Bulldogs in the SEC championship game in Atlanta. Alabama came into the game in an unfamiliar spot as the underdog, which gave them all the motivation thy needed according to head coach Nick Saban as they rolled to a decisive 41-24 victory. Georgia had had a lock on the #1 slot for the majority of the season prior to Saturday’s loss as it was the first of the season.
The Michigan Wolverines showed no signs of slowing down after defeating their rivals, Ohio State University last week for the first time in nine years. Michigan coasted to a 42-3 win over the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten championship game in a dominating performance. With the win the Wolverines became the first team to make the playoffs after starting the season unranked and also marks the team’s first appearance in the College Football Playoffs.
Finally, the Cincinnati Bearcats is the only team to enter the playoffs undefeated after beating the University of Houston 35-21 in the American Athletic Conference game. The Bearcats’ playoff bid is the first one for a team outside one of the Power-5 conferences.
The two semi-final games will both be played on Dec. 31 with Alabama taking on Cincinnati in the Cotton Bowl at 3:30 pm, followed by a clash between the Wolverines and the Bulldogs in the Orange Bowl at 7:30 pm. The winner of the two games will compete against each other for the National Championship trophy on Monday, January 10 in Indianapolis.