College Football Playoff: Alabama-Cincinnati in Cotton Bowl, Michigan-Georgia in Orange Bowl on New Year’s Eve

By RALPH D. RUSSO

IRVING, Texas (AP) — Cincinnati volition play Alabama and Michigan volition look Georgia connected New Year’s Eve aft being selected to the College Football Playoff arsenic a surprise-free tract of 4 was acceptable Sunday.

Fourth-seeded Cincinnati becomes the archetypal squad to interruption done assemblage football’s solid ceiling and scope the CFP from a non-Power Five conference. The Bearcats (13-0) won the American Athletic Conference and caput into the postseason arsenic the lone unbeaten squad successful the country.

Their reward volition beryllium a matchup with the defending nationalist champions successful the Cotton Bowl. The Crimson Tide is successful the playoff for the seventh clip successful the postseason format’s eight-year past aft handing Georgia its archetypal nonaccomplishment of the play successful the Southeastern Conference rubric crippled Saturday.

Alabama (12-1) seemed to a nonaccomplishment distant from being eliminated from playoff contention heading into its crippled with Georgia. Instead, Mater Dei postgraduate Bryce Young, the apt Heisman Trophy winner, and the Tide lit up the Bulldogs’ vaunted defence to gain the apical seed.

Nick Saban’s Alabama dynasty has won 3 playoff championships to spell on with 3 BCS titles since 2009.

Georgia (12-1) managed to enactment successful the tract arsenic the 3rd seed, becoming the 2nd squad to suffer its league rubric crippled and marque the playoff. Notre Dame did the aforesaid happening past season, erstwhile it mislaid a rematch with Clemson successful its 1 play playing successful the Atlantic Coast Conference, a determination prompted by pandemic-altered schedules.

The Bulldogs volition beryllium making their 2nd CFP quality erstwhile they conscionable second-seeded Michigan (12-1) successful the Orange Bowl. The Wolverines are successful the playoff for the archetypal clip aft winning the Big Ten for the archetypal clip since 2004. Michigan is besides the archetypal squad to marque the playoff aft being unranked successful the AP preseason Top 25.

This is the 3rd clip 2 teams from the aforesaid league are successful the CFP and 2nd clip it has happened with the SEC. In the 2017 playoff, the Alabama bushed Georgia successful overtime to triumph the nationalist title.

This year’s semifinal winners volition play for the nationalist title connected Jan. 10 successful Indianapolis.