Illustration: Axios Visuals
Alabama, Michigan, Georgia and Cincinnati will compete in the College Football Playoff, which is exactly how it should be. Not much drama this year.
Why it matters: No. 1 Alabama is the top seed for the fifth time in the CFP's eight-year history.
- No. 2 Michigan is the first team to make the CFP after being unranked in the preseason AP Poll.
- No. 3 Georgia is the fifth team to make the CFP without winning a conference championship.
- No. 4 Cincinnati is the first Group of 5 school to make the CFP.
The big picture: There are 130 FBS teams. Exactly 10% of them (13) have now made a CFP appearance: Alabama (7x), Clemson (6x), Ohio State (4x), Oklahoma (4x), Georgia (2x), Notre Dame (2x), Michigan, Cincinnati, LSU, Washington, Michigan State, Oregon, Florida State.
Looking ahead: The New Year's Six slate...
- Orange Bowl: No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 3 Georgia (Dec. 31)
- Cotton Bowl: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Cincinnati (Dec. 31)
- Peach Bowl: No. 10 Michigan State vs. No. 12 Pitt (Dec. 30)
- Fiesta Bowl: No. 5 Notre Dame vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State (Jan. 1)
- Rose Bowl: No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 11 Utah (Jan. 1)
- Sugar Bowl: No. 7 Baylor vs. No. 8 Ole Miss (Jan. 1)
Go deeper: College football gone mad