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The much anticipated reveal of the 2016 College Football Playoff field is officially out in the open.
On Sunday afternoon, the four teams who will be competing for a National Championship were announced by the CFP committee. After much discussion, here is the full listing.
Chick Fil-A Peach Bowl
No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. No. 4 Washington Huskies
Playstation Fiesta Bowl
No. 2 Clemson Tigers vs. No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes
So after finishing the year unbeaten, Alabama retains their top spot in the playoff bracket to the surprise of no one. Their opponent will be the Washington Huskies, the champions of the Pac-12 Conference who finished the year 13-1. The Huskies had one blemish on their record this year, a loss to the USC Trojans, but were able to regain form and win the Pac-12 title in a blowout victory over the Colorado Buffaloes on Friday night.
Elsewhere the Ohio State Buckeyes and Clemson Tigers will square up in Glendale. Both teams played at University of Phoenix Stadium last year - Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl and Clemson in the National Title game - and now they will meet in the Fiesta Bowl as part of one of the CFP semifinals. These two teams have met around this time before, having faced off in the 2014 Orange Bowl.
On the outside looking in are the Michigan Wolverines and Penn State Nittany Lions of the Big Ten. While Michigan’s qualms rank pretty low on the spectrum, Penn State certainly has a gripe after winning the Big Ten and getting a win over the Buckeyes who are, of course, in the Top 4. Oklahoma, who won the Big 12 Conference, is also a notable team on the outside looking in.