College Football Playoff and Bowl Games Now Lined Up

After yesterday's conference championship games in the SEC, ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten, we're finally ready to take a look at the major college football playoff seedings and schedule as well as the overall matchups for the many postseason bowl games.  For the championship playoffs, the pairings for the two December 28 games (the Fiesta and Peach Bowls)...along with the seedings...are LSU (1) vs. Oklahoma (4) and Ohio State (2) vs. Clemson (3).  Although due to their supposedly easier regular season opponents, defending national champion Clemson was only ranked #3 in spite of their impressive undefeated record, but neither LSU nor Ohio State wanted to have to play them in the first round...I get it, I think the Tigers (Clemson, that is) are going to repeat this year as champs.  But the Buckeyes were less impressive yesterday against Wisconsin, whom they spotted a two-touchdown halftime lead, while the (other) Tigers of LSU pretty much demolished Georgia in their game.  One-loss Oklahoma slipped into the #4 spot after edging Baylor in overtime...

As for the bowl games, it seems that there is something called a "New Year's Day" bowl that teams unable to make the playoffs were clamoring for the honor of playing in.  Florida got one, the Orange Bowl against Virginia, although that contest is scheduled for December 30, not New Year's Day.  Meanwhile, two other SEC teams that didn't get a "New Year's Day" bowl, Auburn and Alabama, actually will be playing on January 1, Auburn against Minnesota in the Outback Bowl and Alabama against Michigan in the Citrus Bowl.   The Cotton Bowl has Memphis vs. Penn State, the Rose Bowl has Wisconsin against Oregon, and the Sugar Bowl will pit Georgia against Baylor.  Other Florida schools got bowl games, too: Florida Atlantic vs. SMU in the Boca Raton Bowl (Dec. 21), Florida International vs. Arkansas State in the Camelia Bowl (Dec. 21), UCF vs. Marshall in the Gasparilla Bowl (Dec. 23), Miami vs. Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl (Dec. 26), and Florida State vs. Arizona State in the Sun Bowl (Dec. 31)...

For the most part my interest in all these games boils down to how the Gators do in their Orange Bowl game, which I will mostly miss since I'll be at work that Monday evening, and the playoffs.  The championship game will be held on January 13 on yet another Monday evening...at least I should be able to watch the two Saturday first-round games on December 28.  As for the playoffs, I think Clemson is the best team but I'm not rooting for any of the contestants in particular or against any of them.  Sometimes it's actually more fun to watch a game when you're not emotionally involved in the outcome: I just finished watching such a contest in the NFL between the San Francisco 49ers and the New Orleans Saints, one of the league's best so far this year...