Michigan’s CFP semifinal matchup revealed

After the Michigan Wolverines decimated the Iowa Hawkeyes 42-3 Saturday night in Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship, Jim Harbaugh and company officially punched their ticket to their first ever appearance in the College Football Playoff. The only question that remained was Michigan’s opponent.

But that question was just answered, as the CFP committee released their last set of rankings for the season. Michigan stayed put at No. 2, while Alabama jumped the Wolverines for the No. 1 spot after defeating Georgia in the SEC Championship game. Georgia went down to No. 3 after its loss, and Cincinnati stayed at No. 4 after going undefeated and winning the AAC Championship over Houston.

Notre Dame and Ohio State we’re on the cusp of the CFP, finishing at No. 5 and 6, respectively. The Buckeyes are set to face No. 11 Utah in the Rose Bowl, while the Irish will face No. 9 Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl.

So the Wolverines and Bulldogs will duke it out in the Orange Bowl for a spot in the National Championship. That game is set to be played on New Year’s Eve, and the Orange Bowl is typically the night game, so the Cotton Bowl between Alabama and Cincinnati will likely be the appetizer game on New Year’s Eve.

Michigan’s last appearance in the Orange Bowl was 2016, when the Wolverines lost a close 33-32 game to Florida State. Georgia’s last Orange Bowl appearance was all the way back in 1959, a game it won 14-0 over Missouri.

What do you think about the last set of CFP rankings? Do you think Alabama should be No. 1, even after Michigan throttled Iowa in last night’s conference championship? As always, let us know in the comments below!

This post will be updated with the entire set of rankings, since the show on ESPN is four freaking hours long.