College Football Playoff: Ohio State sneaks in as the top 3 remain the same

Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Who will be playing for the national championship?

After weeks of speculation and conversation by college football pundits and the College Football Playoff committee, the final four teams are set.

The 2023 College Football Playoff participants will be:

Georgia Bulldogs
Michigan Wolverines
TCU Horned Frogs
Ohio State Buckeyes

This means that in the Peach Bowl, Georgia will play Ohio State, and Michigan takes on TCU in the Fiesta Bowl. The first two teams on the outside looking in are Alabama and Tennessee at 5 and 6.

Much speculation was made about which team will get that last spot, especially with TCU losing to Kansas State in the Big 12 title game. However, the College Football Playoff committee valued the Horned Frogs quality of competition.

Alabama didn’t get in, and Committee chair Boo Corrigan said that Ohio State’s quality wins hold more weight over a team like Alabama. The idea of avoiding a rematch between Ohio State and Michigan also wasn’t brought up among the committee, according to Corrigan.

The rest of the New Years’ Six bowls will be as follows:

Rose Bowl: Penn State vs. Utah

Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. Kansas State

Orange Bowl: Tennessee vs. Clemson

Cotton Bowl: USC vs. Tulane

A lot of these games have serious intrigue, such as Lincoln Riley once against playing a Tulane team that almost stunned his Oklahoma Sooners last year and Deuce Vaughn and Kansas State taking on an Alabama team that has the potential first overall pick in both Bryce Young and Will Anderson.

The College Football Playoff semifinal games will be played on New Years Eve on 4 pm and 8 pm EST, with the Fiesta Bowl at 4 pm and Peach Bowl at 8 pm. The other New Years’ Six games will be played on Dec. 30 and 31.