Courtney Bostic
Sports Journalist
December 12, 2023

December marks the start of the holiday season but it’s also the best month for college football because playoff season is among us. The College Football Playoff committee has picked these four teams: Michigan, Washington, Texas, and Alabama. As a University of Michigan alumnus, this news is extremely exciting for me especially considering the adversity, controversy, and undefeated season Michigan has had this season. Despite having a thirteen-win streak, the Michigan Wolverines still continue to be questioned about their ability to perform. Week in and week out the Wolverines continue to prove that sign stealing controversy aside, they are the team deserving of a playoff position.

Speaking of deserving, there is another team that feels cheated out of a playoff position and that team is Florida State. Despite an undefeated 13-0 season, the playoff committee has decided not to place Florida State in the playoffs. This decision has sparked conversation about whether the playoff committee is favoring the “Popular” of the power 5 conferences which is the SEC. Some claims have been that Florida State wasn’t chosen because their quarterback Jordan Travis suffered a season ending injury on November 18th against North Alabama. This reason does not seem valid considering the backup quarterback for Florida state has stepped up and kept their undefeated record intact. Alabama has finished this regular season with a 12-1 record, and due to the more “challenging” of a conference that the SEC is, some believe that despite not finishing the season undefeated, Alabama still deserves a rightful spot in the playoffs.

Both Alabama and Michigan have something to prove during their face off on January 1st at the Rose Bowl. This is not the first time that these two teams will face each other but this time it’s for a spot at being a contender for the college football championship.  January 1st of 2020 was the most recent matchup between the Wolverines and the Crimson Tide, which ended up in. 35-16 victory for Alabama. This time it’s different. To Michigan, this game means everything. It means continuing to prove that they are the best of the best despite rumors, allegations, and a season where the odds were constantly against them.  A win for Michigan would be proof that they are one of the best. Even with a 13-0 season, the Wolverines would really need to pull out this win against Alabama to be respected by all and prove themselves. For Alabama, a win for them would mean that they truly did deserve to be in the playoffs fighting for a place in the championship, even though Florida State had a better record than them.


Texas and Washington will also be playing for a championship spot on January 1st  at the Sugar Bowl. This game is rumored to be close but the betting odds have Washington coming out with the win, and this makes sense  especially if you take into account that these two teams faced each other in 2022 with Washington coming out with the victory during the The Alamo Bowl.
The sports world will continue to evolve and January 1st, 2024 will be the beginning of something new! For more sports updates follow us @Officialsporty_ On Instagram