Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Washington picked for College Football Playoff

The College Football Playoff pairings are set.

After months of debate and 14 weeks of games, the committee came down with its final decision Sunday.

No. 1 Alabama will play No. 4 Washington in the Peach Bowl.

No. 2 Clemson and No. 3 Ohio State will face off in the Fiesta Bowl.

The decision, as with other years past, is sure to create controversy.

Ranking Reaction: It wouldn't be college football without controversy

The Buckeyes are the first non-conference champion to make the playoff in the three years of the current system. The Huskies, while winners of the Pac-12, had a non-conference schedule of Rutgers, Idaho and Portland State.

“The strength of schedule of Washington has been a concern for this selection committee,” chairman Kirby Hocutt said. “But what we talked about this morning was the quality wins Washington has this year. They’ve played good teams and they’ve beaten good teams.”

Penn State at 11-2 was left out as the fifth choice of the committee. The Nittany Lions won their last nine games, including defeats of Ohio State and Wisconsin, to capture the Big Ten title.

“I think that’s the hard part,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “We sat in there as a team and listened to all the points that were made. I think you can make arguments a lot of different ways based on your perspective.”

Michigan finished 10-2 and beat Penn State by 39 points along with Colorado and Wisconsin.

Oklahoma also finished with nine consecutive victories after a 1-2 start that included losses to Houston and Ohio State. The Big 12 champions beat West Virginia and Oklahoma State by a combined 46 points in its final two games.

All three were included in the line of the other Big Six bowls:

Orange Bowl: Michigan vs. Florida State
Cotton Bowl: Western Michigan vs. Wisconsin
Rose Bowl: Penn State vs. Southern California​
Sugar Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Auburn

Western Michigan earned the Group of Five spot after going unbeaten and taking the MAC championship. It's the first major bowl bid for the Broncos. The past two Group of Six teams - Boise State and Houston - have won their games.

The final committee Top 25:

1. Alabama (13-0)

2. Clemson (12-1)

3. Ohio State (11-1)

4. Washington (12-1)

5. Penn State (11-2)

6. Michigan (10-2)

7. Oklahoma (10-2)

8. Wisconsin (10-3)

9. Southern California (9-3)

10. Colorado (10-3)

11. Florida State (9-3)

12. Oklahoma State (9-3)

13. Louisville (9-3)

14. Auburn (8-4)

15. Western Michigan (13-0)

16. West Virginia (10-2)

17. Florida (8-4)

18. Stanford (9-3)

19. Utah (8-4)

20. LSU (7-4)

21. Tennessee (8-4)

22. Virginia Tech (9-4)

23. Pittsburgh (8-4)

24. Temple (10-3)

25. Navy (9-3)

Contributing: Paul Myerberg

IMAGES FROM WEEK 14 IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL