Alabama Earns No. 1 Seed in College Football Playoff, Will Face Cincinnati

Alabama surged to the top of the final College Football Playoff rankings, earning the No. 1 seed and a spot in the national semifinals after a dominant win over previously unbeaten Georgia in the SEC Championship Game.

The Crimson Tide, 12-1 on the season, will meet unbeaten Cincinnati in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve. Cincinnati, the only undefeated team left in the playoff field at 13-0, secured its spot by defeating Houston 35-20 in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game.

Michigan, also 12-1 after a 42-3 rout of Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game, claimed the No. 2 seed and will face No. 3 Georgia in the Orange Bowl on New Year’s Eve in the other semifinal.

The winners advance to the national championship game on Monday, Jan. 10, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

How the Playoff Works

Under the four-team format used since the 2014 season, the selection committee seeds the top four teams: No. 1 plays No. 4 and No. 2 plays No. 3 in semifinals hosted by bowl games on a rotating schedule. This season’s Cotton Bowl is played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Cincinnati is the first team from outside the Power Five conferences to earn a playoff berth.