What 4 Teams Are In The College Football Playoffs

The College Football Playoff is a knockout tournament annually and determines a national champion. It started in 2014 and is continuing to be played now. This tournament has three championship games and two semi-final games. The College Football Playoff format has undergone many changes from the start of the championship in 2014. Let’s start with What 4 Teams Are In The College Football Playoffs.

What 4 Teams Are In The College Football Playoffs

The College Football Playoff Selection Committee has selected four teams that would participate in the tournament, namely Alabama, Michigan, Georgia, and Cincinnati.

The Teams In The College Football

The team in the first position plays opposite the team in the third spot. And the team in the second position plays opposite the team in the fourth position. Both the semi-final matches are played alongside each other on the same day. Only four teams will play in the tournament in the playoffs until the contract of 12 years expires in the year 2025.  

After many long and critical debates regarding the expansion of teams in the College football playoffs, the directors decided that till the year 2025 there will be only four teams. This is because of its 12 years contract starting from 2014. While the directors had thought of expanding the teams in the tournament for playoffs, many things stood in between their decisions.

Alabama

They are in the number 1 spot in the college football playoffs national championship.

Michigan

They are held onto the number 2 position in the College Football Playoffs championship rankings.

Georgia

They are in the number 3 spot in the College Football Playoff championship after being defeated by Alabama.

Cincinnati

They are on the number 4 spot in the College Football Playoff championships.

College Football Playoff Format  

Earlier, the poll voters selected the two best teams to play the national championship match. But later, as many people opposed it, the format changed, and the committee chose four teams to play the title match.  

The four teams selected by the College Football Playoff Committee play the game on New year’s Eve. The semi-final games rotate between different bowl games, including Capital One Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl game, a Peach bowl, etc.

Alabama has played almost seven out of eight playoffs, held up till now. They have entered the playoffs as the defending champions. Georgia played for the first time when they were a part of the playoffs in 2017. Both Michigan and Cincinnati will be playing for the first time in the College Football Playoff Championship. They are the 12th and 13th teams to participate in this championship playoff.  

Out of the four teams, Alabama is the only team that has already won the College Football Playoff Championship. From the very start of the championship in 2014, Alabama has never faced Cincinnati. Both Michigan and Georgia have also not played opposite each other since the championship started in 2014.

Voting For The Committee Of College Football Playoffs  

1. Every committee member will create a list of 30 teams they think are the best. The name of the teams can be in any order. If the same teams are on the list of more than three members, those teams will be considered.  

2. Every member will choose six teams, out of which the team that has the most number of votes will be considered the first ranking step.  

3. Every member will rank the teams according to what they think is the best format. 

4. The listing and ranking steps are chosen in this way.

Semi-Finals  

Alabama, which is in the number 1 spot, will play opposite the number 4 spot, Cincinnati. While the number 2 spot team, Michigan will play opposite the number 3 spot in Georgia.

Rules For The Semi-Final During The Covid Era

  • If both the teams of any semi-final match are unable to play the match, then the winner of the other semi-final match will be considered the national champion of the College football playoffs.  
  • If any three out of the four teams are unable to play in the championship, then the remaining one team will be declared the national champion of the tournament.

Conclusion

The teams in the championship will play 3 championship games. And, according to those winners, two semi-final games are held to get a national champion. In the United States, this tournament is the highest level of the college football championship. The rule of having four teams in the playoffs was about to be changed by their directors. But, later it was said to be continued till the contract ends in the year 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Who are the four teams to play in the college football playoffs this year?  

The four teams this year are Alabama, Michigan, Georgia, and Cincinnati.

  1. How does the playoff work in college football?  

The college football playoffs play knockout matches with four teams to find out a national champion.  

3. Do the four teams always remain constant in the playoffs?

No, the four teams are not constant, only the winners of many previous games play in the knockout playoffs games.