The College Football Playoff committee’s choices are easy in 2019
Even the College Football Playoff committee can't screw this up. The choices are obvious.
The College Football Playoff selection committee will reveal their top four seeds on Sunday in a four-hour selection show that begins at 12:00 p.m. ET on ESPN, but in 2019, there shouldn’t be any drama leading up to the grand reveal.
There was the possibility for major chaos on conference championship weekend, but thanks to Utah’s loss on Friday night, and expected results playing out in major ranked matchups on Saturday, the committee has no need to debate. Ohio State’s comeback victory in the Big Ten title game against Wisconsin should have sealed the positions of the four best teams in the nation.
Here’s how the College Football Playoff rankings should look when they’re announced on Sunday.
1. LSU (13-0)
LSU was seemingly locked into the College Football Playoff regardless of the SEC championship result, but their dominant victory not only sealed Joe Burrow’s Heisman Trophy, but should also be enough for LSU to claim the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. With an unblemished record in the SEC and wins over Alabama (in Tuscaloosa), Florida, Auburn and Georgia (in Atlanta), the Tigers have the best signature wins in the nation, and they scored major style points on Saturday.
2. Ohio State (13-0)
Wisconsin stunned the Buckeyes in the first half of the Big Ten title game, taking a 21-7 lead into the locker room at halftime, but the Buckeyes dominated the second half to avoid the upset. Given Ohio State’s standing and Wisconsin’s status as a two-loss team, it’s likely the Buckeyes would have made it in even with a loss, but a perfect record means Ohio State should take the No. 2 seed. You can certainly make a case for Ohio State as the No. 1 overall seed, but LSU should get credit for decimating the No. 4 team in the nation.
3. Clemson (13-0)
Dabo Swinney may believe that the Tigers aren’t getting enough respect, but the committee has made it clear that it believes undefeated Clemson slots behind undefeated teams in tougher conferences. A win by either LSU or Ohio State was always going to ensure that Clemson would not play the No. 4 seed in the semifinal, and with both teams winning, the Tigers should be preparing for a matchup with the Buckeyes.
4. Oklahoma (12-1)
Baylor’s third-string quarterback sparked a comeback to force overtime in the Big 12 championship game, but the Sooners prevailed to put themselves in playoff position, barring any major upsets. Utah’s loss to Oregon left a spot in the playoff for the taking, and with Georgia failing to upset LSU, Oklahoma is the clear choice at No. 4.
Semifinal matchups:
No. 1 LSU vs. No. 4 Oklahoma
No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Clemson
Any other combination of four teams would be a stunning decision by the committee. For one year, at least, the playoff isn’t all that controversial.