If you’ve tuned in to a sports talk show anytime over the last three months, you’ve heard of the brand-new and totally controversial college football play-off. After countless hours of discussion and debate, it’s finally happening. Before it does, though, let’s analyze the committee’s decisions on who got in – and, of course, pick a winner.

First of all, the New Year’s Day semifinal matchups pit No. 1 Alabama against No. 4 Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl, and No. 2 Oregon against No. 3 Florida State in the Rose Bowl. Lucky for us, there is no school that day, as these games will be can’t-miss football.

However, did the selections committee select the right teams, and in the right order? Aman believes that Florida State should be the one seed. They’re undefeated, but their schedule is much weaker than that of SEC powerhouse Alabama; plus, their wins haven’t shown a great team – maybe not even a good team — with several coming from late heroics and pure luck. It is the selection committee’s duty to seed the teams based on their overall level of play, and the stats – point differential, strength of schedule – clearly favor Alabama and Oregon. It’s obvious to anyone who actually watches college football that Florida State is the third-best team in the play-off at best.

Ohio State’s inclusion in the play-off is the biggest mistake made by the selection committee. Obviously, their “Big Ten” influence had a lot to do with it, and the other options, Texas Christian (TCU) and Baylor, both suffered because their conference, the Big Twelve, hasn’t traditionally been regarded as a “power conference.” TCU absolutely dominated several ranked
teams, while the Buckeyes struggled against non-ranked Penn State and barely ranked Minnesota. TCU would probably defeat Ohio State handily, and it’s a shame we won’t see the Horned Frogs in the inaugural College Football Play offs.

But enough about the past – let’s look ahead to the upcoming games. Alabama, which has played well since an early season defeat at the hands of Ole Miss, will have no trouble with Ohio State. The Buckeyes starting an inexperienced sophomore quarterback against the fabled Alabama defense will lead to their demise. If Ohio State starter J.T. Barrett were healthy, Ohio State would probably have more of a chance. Oregon should also roll over Florida State. Florida State has started poorly in the first half pretty much every game this season, and won’t have a chance against the third-highest scoring team in the nation if it happens once again.

Now for the championship: Oregon and Alabama. Two conflicting styles will finally clash -the speed and explosiveness of the Ducks and the stifling, brick wall defense of Alabama. Neither team turns the ball over much, so this game comes down to experience, and Nick Saban has enough for an entire conference. Yes, Marcus Mariota has been good, but the only great defense he’s played has been Stanford, so we’ll see what he’s truly made of if, and when these two teams meet. In the end, however, Alabama wins a close one, adding another title to Saban’s already-ridiculous legacy.