2023 College Football Playoff bowl games: Michigan, Washington, Texas, Alabama fill four-team field

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The most chaotic College Football Playoff selection process in the history of the event concluded Sunday, though there was little debate as to which program earned the No. 1 seed. Despite playing without coach Jim Harbaugh on the sideline across six games this season, Michigan (13-0) finished the campaign undefeated and captured the top seed in the playoff on the back of its third straight Big Ten championship win Saturday night.

Making their third consecutive playoff appearance, the Wolverines become just the fifth different team to enter the field at No. 1 in the nine-year history of the event and do so looking to advance to the CFP National Championship for the first time after being eliminated in the semifinals each of the last two seasons.

A similarly flawless — though less-dominant in scoring margin — season concluded for Washington (13-0) with a Pac-12 championship on Friday night. The Huskies earned the No. 2 seed as they return to the playoff for the first time since 2016, which also marks the last time a Pac-12 representative had a chance to compete for the national title. With the Pac-12 (as we know it, at least) going by the wayside after this season and UW off to the Big Ten, it also might be the last such representative.

Crashing the party this season is Texas (12-1), which captured the Big 12 championship and holds the best win of the season, a 10-point road victory at Alabama back in Week 2. The Longhorns, which are off to the SEC in 2024, enter as the No. 3 seed and play in their first playoff as the third different Big 12 team to ever make the field. Texas is the first team from outside the top six in the penultimate CFP Rankings to be elevated into the event.

After taking down…

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Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/2023-college-football-playoff-bowl-games-michigan-washington-texas-alabama-fill-four-team-field/

Author : Adam Silverstein

Publish date : 2023-12-03 17:34:51

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