The 2017–18 College Football Playoff was a single-elimination postseason tournament that determined the national champion of the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the fourth edition of the College Football Playoff (CFP) and involved the top four teams in the country as ranked by the College Football Playoff poll playing in two semifinals, with the winners of each advancing to the national championship game. The four teams to participate were No. 1 Clemson from the Atlantic Coast Conference, No. 2 Oklahoma from the Big 12 Conference, and No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 Alabama, both from the Southeastern Conference. This was the first CFP to feature two teams from the same conference; Alabama, the only team in the field to not have won their conference, was the first such team to be selected for a College Football Playoff.
The playoff bracket's semifinal games were held at the Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl on New Year's Day, part of the season's slate of bowl games. The Sugar Bowl semifinal, between Clemson and Alabama, was a rematch of the national championship games in 2016 and 2017; each team won one of those matchups. Their third game in three seasons was won by Alabama, 24–6. The second semifinal, played at the Rose Bowl, saw Georgia defeat Oklahoma by six points in double overtime; it was the first Rose Bowl Game to reach overtime. By virtue of their victories, Alabama and Georgia advanced to the national championship game, held on January 8 in Atlanta. It was the first national championship matchup between two teams from the same conference since the 2012 BCS National Championship Game between Alabama and LSU. In the championship game, Alabama defated Georgia in overtime, 26–20, to win their second CFP national championship and their seventeenth national championship in school history.
Bracket
| Semifinals | Championship | |||||||
| January 1 – Sugar BowlMercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans | ||||||||
| 1 | Clemson | 6 | ||||||
| 4 | Alabama | 24 | January 8 – ChampionshipMercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta | |||||
| 4 | Alabama (OT) | 26 | ||||||
| January 1 – Rose BowlRose Bowl, Pasadena | 3 | Georgia | 23 | |||||
| 2 | Oklahoma | 48 | ||||||
| 3 | Georgia (2OT) | 54 | ||||||
Selection and teams
The 2017–18 CFP selection committee was chaired by Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt. Its other members were former Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer, former Southern Miss head coach Jeff Bower, former Central Michigan athletic director Herb Deromedi, Robert Morris University president Christopher B. Howard, former NCAA executive vice president Tom Jernstedt, former head coach Bobby Johnson, Arkansas athletic director and former CFP selection committee chairman Jeff Long, Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens, Clemson athletic director Dan Radakovich, Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith, former USA Today reporter Steve Wieberg, and former college head coach Tyrone Willingham.[1]
| No. | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia (8–0) | Georgia (9–0) | Alabama (10–0) | Alabama (11–0) | Clemson (11–1) | Clemson (12–1) |
| 2 | Alabama (8–0) | Alabama (9–0) | Clemson (9–1) | Miami (FL) (10–0) | Auburn (10–2) | Oklahoma (12–1) |
| 3 | Notre Dame (7–1) | Notre Dame (8–1) | Miami (FL) (9–0) | Clemson (10–1) | Oklahoma (11–1) | Georgia (12–1) |
| 4 | Clemson (7–1) | Clemson (8–1) | Oklahoma (9–1) | Oklahoma (10–1) | Wisconsin (12–0) | Alabama (11–1) |
| 5 | Oklahoma (7–1) | Oklahoma (8–1) | Wisconsin (10–0) | Wisconsin (11–0) | Alabama (11–1) | Ohio State (11–2) |
| 6 | Ohio State (7–1) | TCU (8–1) | Auburn (8–2) | Auburn (9–2) | Georgia (11–1) | Wisconsin (12–1) |
Key: Team increased ranking from previous week Team decreased ranking from previous week Team selected to College Football Playoff
Playoff games
Semifinals
Rose Bowl
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | 2OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 3 Georgia | 7 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 6 | 54 |
| No. 2 Oklahoma | 14 | 17 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 48 |
at the Rose Bowl • Pasadena, California
- Date: January 1, 2018
- Game time: 2:00 p.m. PST
Sugar Bowl
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 4 Alabama | 10 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
| No. 1 Clemson | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
at Mercedes-Benz Superdome • New Orleans, Louisiana
- Date: January 1, 2018
- Game time: 8:00 p.m. CST
Championship game
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 4 Alabama | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 26 |
| No. 3 Georgia | 0 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 23 |
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium • Atlanta, Georgia
- Date: January 8, 2018
- Game time: 7:30 p.m. CST
References
- ^ "Year-by-year CFP selection committee membership". College Football Playoff. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
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