Who's In?

The regular season and the Conference Championship matchups are over. Each team throughout the nation has done what it could to put together a resume decent enough for the playoff committee to consider them one of the top four teams in all college football. The committee takes into consideration many things when deciding "who's in", including strength of schedule, number of wins against Top 25 teams, and control over the game. Going into the final week of the regular season, Clemson was ranked Number 1, followed by Alabama at Number 2, Oklahoma at Number 3, and the Iowa Hawkeyes ranked Number 4. However, after the conference championship games, things have changed. So Who's In?
Coming in at the Number One Overall Ranking are the Clemson Tigers, which should not be much of a shocker to anyone. After defeating North Carolina in the ACC Championship Game, the Tigers finished with the only undefeated record in all of the FBS, following Iowa's loss to Michigan State. They had held the Number One spot for many weeks, and never seemed lose grasp of it. Clemson boasts key wins over Notre Dame, Florida State University, and, of course, the North Carolina Tar Heels.
At the Number Two Spot are the Alabama Crimson Tide, who secured their spot in the playoffs after a victory in the SEC Championship game against the Florida Gators. Alabama finished the season with an overall record of 12-1, with their only loss coming early in the season against Ole Miss. The Crimson Tide had stood at Number Two for the majority of the season through strong play, but were unable to finish ahead of Clemson after the Tigers never lost a game. Alabama's key wins came against Wisconsin, Georgia, Texas A&M, LSU, Mississippi State, and Florida.
The biggest change in the College Football Playoff rankings came at Number Three with the Michigan State Spartans. After defeating Iowa in a tough-fought matchup that came down to the final minutes, the Spartans secured a spot in the College Football Playoffs. The Spartans finished with a 12-1 overall record, with their only loss coming against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in a somewhat controversial finish. The Spartans sat just outside of the College Football Playoff rankings the previous week at Number 5, but after spoiling the Hawkeyes perfect season, the committee had to reward them with the spot. Michigan State's key wins include victories over Oregon, Michigan, Ohio State, and the Hawkeyes.
Taking the final spot in the College Football Playoffs at Number Four are the Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners finished with an 11-1 record, and didn't even play this week after becoming the undisputed Big 12 Champions. Their only loss came early in the year against the Texas Longhorns. Notable wins for the Sooners came against Tennessee, West Virginia, Baylor, TCU, and Oklahoma State.
Number One Clemson will take on Number Four Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl in the semifinals. The winner of that game will face the winner of the Cotton Bowl between the Number Two Crimson Tide and the Number Three Spartans.