This year marks the end of the four-team playoffs as the field is set to expand to 12 teams in 2024. Fortunately, we are going out with a bang as this feels like the most competitive field we have had in the 10 seasons of the system. Alabama fans have been beyond spoiled as Nick Saban has guided the Tide to playoff appearances in eight of those seasons.
While some people are frustrated with the committee’s decision to leave Florida State out, any reasonable fan can see that a Nick Saban-led Alabama team would certainly fare much better in the playoffs than a Seminoles team on their backup quarterback. On Jan. 1, when Alabama and Michigan kick off in the iconic Rose Bowl and dual it out for three and a half hours, I don’t think many people will be complaining then.
Aside from being just four really solid football teams, all of the playoff games have incredibly intriguing storylines. For example, Nick Saban and Jim Harbaugh are both documented to not be fans of one another as well as Harbaugh being in the midst of a massive scandal. In the other game, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian will face off against his former school in Washington. There is also a chance that we get a Week 2 rematch of Alabama-Texas in the national championship.