2022 College Football Playoffs: Georgia, Michigan, TCU, Ohio State fill a four-team field

After winning their first SEC championship since 2017 on Saturday night, the reigning national champion Georgia Bulldogs remain top of the pack as the #1 seed in the College Football Playoff tournament as determined Sunday by the CFP selection committee. Georgia, 13-0 for the first time in program history, leads the four-team field as it looks to defend its national title and become the first back-to-back champion in the CFP era.

Michigan, also sitting 13-0 for the first time as the only other undefeated Power Five program this season, is returning to the playoffs for the second year in a row as the No. 2 seed after a thrilling win over Ohio State last week and a victory over Ohio State. in the Big Ten Championship Game over Purdue.

The party crasher this season is TCU (12-1), who fell in the Big 12 Championship Game but earned a No. 3 seed thanks to their phenomenal play and 12 straight wins to open the season. The Horned Frogs are the second Big 12 team to reach the playoff in the postseason’s nine-year history and the first Big 12 team to do so without winning a league title. They are also the second team to advance to the playoffs after starting the season unranked in the AP Top 25 (Michigan, 2021).

Ohio State (11-1) is once again in the playoff despite sitting at home during conference championship weekend. The Buckeyes are entering fourth place with their only loss coming to the Wolverines two weeks ago after an 11-0 start. This makes the Big Ten conference only the second time to put two members on the same ballpark; The SEC has done this twice previously. (Notre Dame made the 2020-21 playoffs, along with Clemson, after playing the ACC schedule amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but is not a permanent member of the league.)

Two SEC teams, Alabama (10-2) and Tennessee (10-2), are placed outside the four-team field in fifth and sixth, respectively.

No. 1 seed Georgia will face No. 4 Ohio State in the semifinals of the Peach Bowl, which will be held in Atlanta on December 31. No. 2 Michigan State and No. 3 TCU will also meet on New Year’s Eve in the Fiesta Bowl, which will be held in Glendale, Arizona. The 2022 CFP National Championship is set for Monday, January 9th at SOFI Stadium in Englewood, California.

Georgia makes its second straight playoff appearance and third overall. He has twice advanced from the semi-final round to the national championship and is 1-1 in those games.

Likewise, Michigan is making its second consecutive playoff appearance, and will be hoping for a different outcome this time if it faces UGA again. The Wolverines haven’t won a national championship since 1997, one season before the BCS was formed, meaning UM has never won a dedicated national title.

For the first time in the playoffs, TCU is seeking its first national championship since 1938. Horned Frogs head coach Sonny Dykes is the 3rd to lead a team to the CFP in Year 1 (Lincoln Riley with Oklahoma and Ryan Day with Ohio State), though he is the only head coach To do this he has not been promoted from a position in the previous training. TCU is the 14th team to play in the CFP.

Ohio State is by far the most experienced program in the field, making its fifth Finals appearance overall and its third in the past four seasons. The Buckeyes won the primary CFP national championship after the 2014 campaign, but they’ve only gone 1-3 in CFP games since then.

Georgia was 1-0 all-time against Ohio State with their only meeting coming in the 1993 Citrus Bowl (21-14), while TCU and Michigan have never met.

The playoffs may be set, but it’s not the only thing going on in the postseason. Check out CBS Sports’ pot forecast As well as full 2022-23 bowl schedule.