As the 2022 college football season has raced to an end, the stress of the playoff selection had left any and all contending teams in shock. With only four teams making it past the regular season, just one loss would ruin it for the top contenders. Initiated, in 2014, a 13 member committee selects and seeds the top four teams at the time. Held on Sunday, December 5 2022, the playoff selection show was held on ESPN, where the College Football Committee had selected #1 Georgia with a perfect record of 13-0, #2 Michigan with another perfect record of 13-0, #3 TCU coming in 12-1, and #4 Ohio State finished at 12-1. With major controversy surrounding the 4 team playoff, all 4 teams were limited to just one loss, and were lucky enough to make the cut.
Both semi-final games will be played on New Year’s Eve, as Number 1 Georgia takes on Number 4 Ohio State, and Number 2 Michigan plays Number 3 TCU. Beginning in the 2024-25 season, the college football playoff will triple it’s size, allowing twelve teams to make the cut and extending their season. Due to the number of colleges striving to make it in, the committee decided to expand on their playoff.
Last year’s favorite Alabama fell just short this season with an overall record of 12-2. Coach Nick Saban of Alabama was distraught with the results, mediating that his team should have been selected. Just two losses can mess up the entire season for these athletes. Other teams like Tennessee, Utah, Southern California, Penn State, and Clemson have also just missed this year’s cut.
Week 13, the conference championship weekend that was played on December 4-5, shook many teams up. After Ohio State had fallen short of Michigan, the Buckeyes would not have thought they were going to make it through. Going into the conference championship weekend, Georgia, Michigan, TCU, and USC were favorites to play on New Years Eve . With a blowout loss vs. Utah, 42-27, the USC Trojans had been removed from the playoff, while Ohio State battled back into the picture.
Immediately after the weekend had wrapped up its games, it was finalized that Ohio State was in. Looking deeper into the top 4, the Georgia Bulldogs had been the favorite since the season kicked off. Star Quarterback Stenson Bennet, alongside Running Back Kendall Milton led the team to a perfect regular season. With 7,726 total yards, Bennet continued to succeed and knock teams out of contention. Next, the Michigan Wolverines were heavily trailing all season, also finishing with a perfect season. RB Blake Corum finished the season with 1,463 yards from scrimmage. The TCU Horned Frogs, along with the Ohio State Buckeyes, finished just under the two, giving them enough to get to the next round. Make sure to tune in to ESPN on New Year’s Eve on 4:00 PM, and 8:00 PM for some quality collegiate football.
