Matchups Set for First-Ever College Football Playoff

After months of wondering and speculation, the wait is over. On Sunday, the College Football Playoff Selection Committee announced college football's final four. And there was one big surprise.

Alabama was ranked No. 1, Oregon No. 2, defending national champs Florida State No. 3, and Ohio State No. 4.

Many predicted one of the Big 12 co-champions, TCU or Baylor, would earn the fourth spot. But the Buckeyes got in based on a "quality win against a highly ranked team" in Week 13, Selection Committee chair Jeff Long told ESPN. TCU went from third in last week's poll to sixth to the final poll. 

Here's how the games breakdown:

Alabama will play Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl, and Oregon will face Florida State in the Rose Bowl. Both games will be held on Jan. 1. The winners will square off in the national championship game on Jan. 12 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas.

There will be four other games on New Year's Day:

Mississippi vs. TCU in the Peach Bowl
Boise State vs. Arizona in the Fiesta Bowl
Mississippi State vs. Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl
Michigan State vs. Baylor in the Cotton Bowl

After Sunday's announcement, I spoke with Jeff Long about the process of picking the teams. Here's my brief interview: