The College Football Playoff, now in its fourth year, is back where it began: To the same lineup of games as Year One — the lineup that turns the Rose and Sugar bowls into the semifinal matchups.
This is an ominous arrangement for traditionalists, but it’s good news for the CFP selection committee and the overall lineup of New Year’s Six games.
(This year, by the way, the six games will be played on Dec. 29 and 30 and Jan. 1. New Year’s Eve falls on a Sunday and is therefore the domain of the NFL.)
If you’ve forgotten the details, here’s a quick primer:
The six-game CFP rotation is broken into three-year cycles. In years they aren’t hosting the semifinals, certain bowls are contractually obligated to host specific conferences.
When the Rose and Sugar host the CFP, maximum flexibility surfaces elsewhere:
The Orange is spoken for, but the Peach, Cotton and Fiesta have both sides of their pairings open.
Six of the 12 slots, in other words, are open for at-large teams. The committee can allow matchups and geography dictate the pairings for more teams in Years 1, 4, 7 and 10 of the CFP than the other seasons.
*** Projected pool of teams
Champions
ACC: Florida State
Big Ten: Ohio State
Big 12: Texas
SEC: Alabama
Pac-12: Washington
Group of Five: South Florida
At-large selections
ACC: Clemson
Big Ten: Wisconsin and Penn State
Big 12: none
SEC: Georgia and Auburn
Pac-12: USC
***The matchups
Sugar Bowl
Pairing: semifinal
Projection: No. 1 Florida State vs. No. 4 Washington
Comment: As the top overall seed, FSU is sent to (relatively) nearby New Orleans. The Huskies had been hoping for the third seed and a spot in the Rose Bowl.
Rose Bowl
Pairing: semifinal
Projection: No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 3 Ohio State
Comment: An epically difficult ticket as Alabama makes its first appearance in the Rose since the 1940s. Not often the Buckeyes are an afterthought in Pasadena.
Fiesta Bowl
Pairing: at-large vs. at-large
Projection: USC vs Wisconsin
Comment: The Fiesta is overjoyed to land the Trojans for the first time since the 1981 season. And get this: Wisconsin has never participated. We hear there might be hotel rooms available in Casa Grande.
Cotton Bowl
Pairing: at-large vs. at-large
Projection: Texas vs. Auburn
Comment: I’ve got the Longhorns as the surprise Big 12 winner and the conference’s only NY6 participant. Committee sends one SEC at-large to the Cotton and the other to the Peach.
Peach Bowl
Pairing: at-large vs. at-large
Projection: South Florida vs. Georgia
Comment: USF represents the Group of Five and gets placed as close to home as possible. Georgia loves being in Atlanta but not thrilled about the opponent. Playing Texas in Jerry World sounds pretty good.
Orange Bowl
Pairing: ACC vs. Big Ten/SEC/Notre Dame
Projection: Clemson vs. Penn State
Comment: Clemson slotted as the ACC runner up while Penn State sent here to avoid rematch with USC (in the Fiesta). Last time the Nittany Lions were in the Orange Bowl, they needed triple OT to beat Florida State.
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