Irving, Texas (AP) — Cincinnati will play Alabama and Michigan will face Georgia on New Year’s Eve after being selected for the College Football Playoff as four historic fields were set up on Sunday.
The fourth seeded Cincinnati will be the first team to break through the glass ceiling of college football and reach the CFP from non-Power Five meetings. Bearcats (13-0) will win the American Athletic Conference and head for the postseason as the only undefeated team in the country.
Previously, the so-called Group of Five conference teams never even approached the playoffs. Neither the two UCF teams, which were undefeated in the 2017 and 2018 regular seasons, nor last year’s Cincinnati, which was undefeated and sufficient to bid for the Peach Bowl against Georgia.
“We’ve been trying not to say we’re raising the flag (for teams other than Power Five) all year long,” Cyncinnati coach Luke Fickell told ESPN. “I think you can get lost in many things that are happening.”
Bearcats made history with little discussion. Playoffs selection committee chairman Gary Balta said Cincinnati had a strong consensus in 4th place ahead of 5th place Notre Dame, who had only one defeat against Bearcats at home in early October. .. Ohio State University finished in 6th place.
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Bearcats might not have been so comfortable on the field if things had changed in Saturday’s Big 12 Championship Game. Oklahoma State University, which was fifth in the game’s CFP ranking, was a few inches short of recording a go-a-head touchdown in the last moment with Baylor.
Baylor scored a goal line and Bearcats cleared after Cincinnati took care of Houston in the AAC title game.
On Sunday, it became official. Two teams from the same meeting have joined the CFP for the third time and have occurred at the SEC for the second time. In the 2017 playoffs, Alabama defeated Georgia overtime to win the national title.
The remaining final rankings of the Commission and the other four New Year’s six bowl matches were scheduled to be announced later on Sunday. The winner of the semi-finals will compete in the National Championships in India Napolis on January 10th.
Cincinnati’s reward will be against the Cotton Bowl Defending National Champion.
“I’m sure Cincinnati is in the playoffs,” Alabama coach Nick Saban told ESPN.
Crimson Tide will be the seventh playoff in the eight-year history of the postseason format after bringing Georgia its first defeat of the season in the title game of the Southeastern Conference on Saturday.
Alabama (12-1) appeared to have lost his exclusion from the playoffs for a match against Georgia. Instead, Bryce Young and Tide lit up the bulldog’s proud defenses and won the top seed.
“Alabama not only defeated Georgia, but there was also a way they defeated them. They had little control over the game from start to finish,” Balta said.
Balta said the committee did not consider avoiding a rematch between Tide and the Bulldog in the first round when sowing the team.
Nick Saban’s Alabama dynasty has won three BCS titles in three playoff championships since 2009.
Georgia (12-1) managed to stay on the field as the third seed and became the second team to lose the conference title game and play off. Notre Dame did the same last season when he lost a rematch with Clemson during the lonely season he played at the Atlantic Coast Conference. This move was prompted by a pandemic’s modified schedule.
The bulldog will make his second CFP appearance when he meets the second seeded Michigan (12-1) in the Orange Bowl. Jim Harbaugh and Wolverines will be in the playoffs for the first time after winning the Big Ten for the first time since 2004. Michigan, who won 2-4 last season, is also the first team to play off after being unranked. Pre-season AP Top 25.
This will be the first match between these two historic programs since 1965. No team in the history of college football has won more games than Michigan. Bulldog defeated Wolverines 15-7 at the Big House.
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Playoffs: Alabama vs Cincinnati, Michigan vs Georgia | Nation
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