In the end it didn’t matter one way or another that the big wigs behind the Big 12 proclaimed Baylor and TCU co-champions of the conference, as neither was included in college football’s first-ever College Football Playoff. After the favorites all took care of business on Saturday, the Alabama Crimson Tide, Oregon Ducks, Florida State Seminoles and Ohio State have been tapped to play in college football’s New Year’s Day extravaganza.
For more on the NCAA’s huge slate of games, check out our previews of Alabama vs. Ohio State and Oregon vs. Florida State. In the meantime, read on for the complete schedule, bracket, and news around the NCAA’s big announcement.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]College Football Playoff Schedule & Preview
The Rose Bowl
Where: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
When: Thursday, January 1, 2015, 5PM ET
Line: Ohio State Buckeyes (+10) at Alabama Crimson Tide (-10); total 58.0 – view all NCAA football lines
The Sugar Bowl
Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans
When: Thursday, January 1, 2015, 8:30PM ET
Line: Florida State Seminoles (+9) at Oregon Ducks (-9); total 71.5 – view all NCAA football lines
[sc:NCAA240banner ]All four teams who made the College Football Playoff are deserving participants, but nonetheless the big news around the schedule’s announcement being the exclusion of the Big 12’s top two teams: the TCU Horned Frogs and the Baylor Bears.
While it was likely very close, the feeling is that Ohio State’s 59-0 domination of Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship game was enough to put the Buckeyes over the edge as a Playoff-calibre team.
The committee’s decisions have not surprisingly set up two very juicy matchups on New Year’s Day, featuring three of the nation’s top 10 teams in turns of offensive yards, and one other–Florida State–that has not lost in 2014.
There will be controversy about the teams that have made into this mini-tournament in its first ever iteration, but we’re not complaining: we have three incredible games instead of one to look forward to, and these teams can and will put on a show come 2015.
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