College Football Playoff Spots Revealed: Alabama Squeaks Into No. 4 Seed

If you were rooting for chaos this season, the College Football Playoff selection committee delivered in a big way.

The final four-team field in CFP history was set Sunday, with Michigan, Washington, Texas and Alabama making the cut. Georgia and Florida State were the two teams left on the outside looking in, because the committee just couldn’t bring themselves to leave the SEC out.

The playoff field expands to 12 teams in 2024-25.

The final CFP top four teams are locked in 🔒#CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/nzNiFSKgKd

— ESPN (@espn) December 3, 2023

Michigan was ranked No. 1, with its Big Ten Championship win Saturday capping off an undefeated regular season. The Wolverines boasted wins over Ohio State, Penn State and Iowa. It marked the first time Michigan earned the No. 1 seed in the tournament and its third appearance in the playoff.

Washington earned the No. 2 ranking after defeating Oregon in the final Pac-12 Championship Game on Friday night. It was the Huskies’ second win over the Ducks this season, with Michael Penix Jr. and company also picking up wins over Oregon State, Arizona and USC. Washington will make its second CFP appearance this season.

Texas is the No. 3 team after thumping Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship on Saturday and knocking off Alabama early in the season. It’s the Longhorns’ first appearance in the CFP.

Alabama (obviously) squeezed into the No. 4 spot, with a win over Georgia being enough to leapfrog an undefeated Florida State team that won the ACC championship Saturday despite being down to its third-string QB.

That’s the Nick Saban difference.