Joel Klatt believes College Football Playoff committee made mistake

The College Football Playoff field was officially set Sunday, and we now know who will be competing for a national championship. While No. 1 Alabama and No. 4 Cincinnati will play in the Cotton Bowl semifinal, No. 2 Michigan and No. 3 Georgia will face off in the Orange Bowl semifinal – with both games taking place on Friday, Dec. 31.

Coming into Sunday’s College Football Playoff selection show on ESPN, Alabama, Michigan, Georgia and Cincinnati were projected to be the top-four teams, but there was uncertainty on where exactly each would be ranked. Now that the ranking is set, there’s some people that agree and some that don’t.

Of those who would’ve have positioned the teams differently is FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt, who posted on Twitter that he would’ve seeded his College Football Playoff top-six like this: No. 1 Michigan, No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 Cincinnati, No. 5 Ohio State and No. 6 Notre Dame.

Although Klatt would’ve seeded the teams teams differently, he still said that he’s “excited to see how it plays out.”

We have the correct four teams in the CFP…I would have seeded them differently but I'm excited to see how it plays out

My CFB Top 6
1) @UMichFootball
2) @AlabamaFTBL
3 @GeorgiaFootball
4) @GoBearcatsFB

5) @OhioStateFB
6) @NDFootball

— Joel Klatt (@joelklatt) December 6, 2021

While No. 1 Alabama and No. 4 Cincinnati will open semifinal play in the Cotton Bowl on Friday, Dec. 31 at 3:30 p.m. ET in Arlington, Texas, the Orange Bowl between No. 2 Michigan and No. 3 Georgia will kickoff at 7:30 p.m. ET that same night in Miami Gardens, Florida.

ESPN will be carrying both national broadcasts.

Final College Football Playoff top four

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (12-1, SEC champion)

Alabama was a rare underdog on Saturday in the SEC Championship Game against Georgia, but it didn’t matter. Georgia’s dominant defense was not able to contain Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, who threw for 421 yards and had four total touchdowns in the 41-24 victory. Alabama scored as many points in the second quarter, 24, as Georgia was able to score in the entire game. The Crimson Tide proved two things on Saturday: Georgia is beatable, and nobody should ever bet against Nick Saban and Alabama.

2. Michigan Wolverines (12-1, Big Ten champion)

Michigan making it into the College Football Playoff top four is a notable accomplishment. The Wolverines become the first team in the playoff era to make the College Football Playoff after beginning the season as an unranked team. Things were looking bleak for Michigan after a late-season loss to Michigan State, but things turned around quickly. Michigan defeated Ohio State 42-27 in the final week of the regular season to clinch a spot in the Big Ten title game. Against Iowa, Michigan dominated in every way possible, coming away with a convincing 42-3 victory to clinch a Big Ten title and solidify its spot in the College Football Playoff top four.

3. Georgia Bulldogs (12-1, SEC runner-up)

Georgia came into conference championship weekend looking unbeatable. The Bulldogs had blown out every team that they faced. Georgia’s closest game of the season was Week 1 against Clemson. But Alabama was Georgia’s toughest test of the season, by a wide margin, and Alabama was able to roll by the Bulldogs. Prior to the loss, Georgia hadn’t given up more than 17 points in a game all season. But Alabama cruised to a 41-24 victory. Georgia sat atop the rankings for the majority of the season and remain in the College Football Playoff top four, just not in the same slot that they were hoping for.

4. Cincinnati Bearcats (13-0, AAC champion)

Cincinnati is the lone remaining undefeated team in college football. The Bearcats improved to 13-0 on Saturday with a 35-20 win over Houston in the AAC Championship game. Cincinnati has also become the first Group of Five team to ever make the College Football Playoff top four. All season long there was debate on whether or not Cincinnati’s resume would be impressive enough to make it in. After picking up a win over Houston, who entered the weekend ranked No. 21, the committee ultimately decided that the Bearcats deserved a shot.