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The new College Football Playoff system is here and ready for it’s first run on January first. The format is simple the best four teams will enter two semi-final games and the two that come out on top will head to a championship game where the winner takes all… title, trophy, and bragging rights for the year.
The top four teams in order of their ranking are the Alabama Crimson Tide, Oregon Ducks, Florida State Seminoles, and Ohio State Buckeyes.
The four coaches who led their teams to this spot in the post season met in Orlando, Florida yesterday for a press conference where they discussed their teams, their opponents, and the new system.
“It’s really really exciting to be a apart of anything that’s a first. I just hope that because it’s a first that we do the best job that we possibly can for all teams involved, all players involved, all families involved. You know… assessing how we do this so we can make it better for the families in the future,” said Nick Saban, head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Alabama, the number one seed will take on number four Ohio State. Less than a week ago, that number four spot was up for grabs after Baylor beat the then number three TCU. But Ohio State was able to clinch that spot after they blew out Wisconsin 59-0 in the Big 10 Championship Game…with a third string quarterback. The Buckeyes started the first week of college football playoff rankings sitting in the number 16 spot, each week moving up.
Alabama on the other hand was able to grab the number one spot during Week 13 and has held that spot ever since. The Crimson Tide were able to end the season 12-1 and 7-1 in conference play, only losing to the Ole Miss Rebels back on October 4th.
The undefeated and third ranked Florida State Seminoles will play in the Rose Bowl against number two Oregon, who went 12-1 on the season.
“Being in the inaugural playoff… it’s ironic that Florida State was in the original BCS game also,” said Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher. “A lot of history that’s been accomplished there, and I’m very proud of it. ”
FSU found itself in the top four of the College Football Playoff rankings all seven weeks, but were never able to grab that number one spot.
“It’s been incredible, what they’ve [Florida State] been able to accomplish and sustain. A lot has been made of them being a second half team and all this stuff, and not winning decisively. Winning is really hard in a game. Winning once is hard,” said Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich.
Helfrich wasn’t the only coach impressed with his competition. Fisher went on and on about the Oregon program.
“They have tremendous athleticism, tremendous speed, length, but they’re coached extremely well. They make very few mistakes. They don’t turn the ball over. They keep great leverage on the ball on defense. They tackle very well. They give up very few big plays behind them. Special teams… they rotate returners and it doesn’t matter who’s back there running it, they always have break away speed and create big plays. They cover kicks very well. This is an extremely well coached team and a very talented team.”
The Allstate Sugar Bowl (Alabama vs. Ohio State) will be held at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Rose bowl (Oregon vs. Florida State) will be held at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California.
Click here for sound from the coaches:
Fisher on being in the inaugural game.
