Tide to play Huskies; Buckeyes to face Clemson

The committee chose a non-champion (Ohio State) because it was definitive that the Buckeyes had a top-four résumé and the best résumé in the best conference, the Big Ten. That means they will face the undefeated Alabama on December 31, 2016 In the Peach Bowl in Atlanta.

In 2016, the College Football Playoff committee should just change their name to HAL 9000 for all the soul they showed in their ranking of the final four teams. There are enough bowl games and enough conference championship games that adding more teams to the playoff shouldn’t be necessary.

The Fiesta Bowl will pit No. 2 Clemson and No. 3 Ohio State to decide one-half of the eventual national championship game, with the Peach Bowl matchup of No. 1 Alabama and No. 4 Washington deciding the other.

THE SERIES: Clemson and Ohio State have played twice before, both in bowl games. Huskies fans were holding up signs at games late in the season, proclaiming “We want Bama”. “I didn’t hold up that sign”. They’re the Alabama of the ACC and have everything needed to win a national championship.

The Huskies (12-1) were ranked No. 4 entering Friday’s league title game, and seemingly clinched their spot in the playoff with a 31-point victory over 8th-ranked Colorado. Ohio State assistant coach Kerry Coombs, a former Cincinnati player, also is expected to receive a look.

“I just wanted to support the team”, Myers said.

No. 2 Clemson and No. 3 Ohio State will face off in the Fiesta Bowl.

“We talked to our coaches about what they saw in the performance of these two teams on the field, not just in one particular game, but over the course of 13 games”, Hocutt said. The last time was after the 2013 season.

That’s the reason it became impossible to imagine Penn State could hop Ohio State in the final playoff rankings that actually determine the four teams who play in it. When looking at the non-conference, the Huskies had the 127th-ranked schedule with teams like Portland State and Idaho. They started with a record of 2-2 and bounced back from a 39-point loss in Ann Arbor. The Nittany Lions have won nine games in a row, and the Trojans (9-3) are on an eight-game winning streak.

“Schedule strength is a key component in CFP Selection Committee deliberations”, Bowlsby said almost one year ago.

If Penn State somehow earns the selection to the playoffs, Ohio State would head to Pasadena, Calif. for the Rose Bowl. Penn State’s losses came to Pittsburgh (42-39) and MI (49-10).

Clemson defeated Ohio State 40-35 in the 2014 Orange Bowl, a little less than three years ago.

It’s the fifth time Western Michigan and Wisconsin have played, the first since 2000.

ORANGE BOWL: Michigan has been selected to play Florida State in the Orange Bowl on December 30. There was concern that if Navy won the American Athletic Conference championship, several bowl assignments would be delayed while waiting to see if Navy could qualify for the Cotton Bowl bid. Doing so may result in civil and/or criminal penalties.