With Washington's 34-31 win over Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship Game on Friday, Ohio State needed three dominoes to fall on Saturday to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive.
None of them fell.
At noon, Texas defeated Oklahoma State, 49-21, in the Big 12 Championship Game. At 4 p.m., Alabama upset Georgia, 27-24, in the SEC Championship Game. And at 8 p.m., Florida State held off Louisville, 16-6, in the ACC Championship Game (and Michigan won the Big Ten). With those results, the Longhorns, Crimson Tide, Bulldogs and Seminoles were in contention for the final spots behind the Wolverines and Huskies in the CFP.
On Sunday, the CFP committee selected Michigan, Washington, Texas and Alabama as the four participants in the final four-team playoff. Florida State and Georgia were the first two teams left out, with Ohio State close behind as the No. 7-ranked team in the sport. Oregon, Missouri and Penn State rounded out the top 10 behind the Buckeyes.
| Rank # | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | 13-0 |
| 2 | Washington | 13-0 |
| 3 | Texas | 12-1 |
| 4 | Alabama | 12-1 |
| 5 | Florida State | 13-0 |
| 6 | Georgia | 12-1 |
| 7 | Ohio State | 11-1 |
| 8 | Oregon | 11-2 |
| 9 | Missouri | 10-2 |
| 10 | Penn State | 10-2 |
| 11 | Mississippi | 10-2 |
| 12 | Oklahoma | 10-2 |
| 13 | LSU | 9-3 |
| 14 | Arizona | 9-3 |
| 15 | Louisville | 10-3 |
| 16 | Notre Dame | 9-3 |
| 17 | Iowa | 10-3 |
| 18 | NC State | 9-3 |
| 19 | Oregon State | 8-4 |
| 20 | Oklahoma State | 9-4 |
| 21 | Tennessee | 8-4 |
| 22 | Clemson | 8-4 |
| 23 | Liberty | 13-0 |
| 24 | SMU | 11-2 |
| 25 | Kansas State | 8-4 |
With Ohio State out of the College Football Playoff, the Buckeyes will face the Tigers in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl on Dec. 29. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day will speak with the media about the Buckeyes' bowl destination and more in a press conference at 3 p.m.
