We’re just hours from the final College Football Playoff rankings of the 2023 season. The CFP semifinalists will be revealed Sunday (Noon ET, ESPN) as well as all the bowl matchups.
With that, championship weekend was the last chance for teams to secure their spots in the top four or impress the committee enough to make a leap in the rankings. The Washington Huskies, who entered the week ranked No. 3, punched their ticket Friday night. The undefeated Huskies defeated the No. 5 Oregon Ducks 34-31 in the Pac-12 title game. Washington’s offensive stars all had big nights. QB Michael Penix Jr. threw for 319 yards and a TD. Receivers Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan each had more than 100 yards receiving. Running back Dillon Johnson ran for 152 yards and two scores.
The Texas Longhorns, No. 7 in last week’s rankings, cruised past the No. 18 Oklahoma State Cowboys. Then chaos broke out. The No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs, who were in the midst of a 29-game winning streak and hadn’t lost in more than 700 days, fell to the Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC title game. The Tide were ranked No. 8 and lost to Texas during the regular season. Quarterback Jalen Milroe accounted for 221 total yards and threw two touchdowns. The Tide’s win, however, could put the SEC in real jeopardy of missing the playoff — something that hasn’t happened in the CFP era.
The No. 2 Michigan Wolverines and No. 4 Florida State Seminoles faced tough, defensive games to end championship weekend. Michigan, capitalized on Iowa turnovers, and running back Blake Corum did the rest as the Wolverines pulled away for a 26-0 win. Corum rushed for 52 yards and two touchdowns. He tied the school record for career touchdowns in this game.
Meanwhile, the Noles, down to their third-string quarterback, couldn’t generate any offense, but their defense was otherworldly. FSU sacked Louisville’s Jack Plummer eight times and picked him off once. FSU limited Louisville to just 188 total yards in the 16-6 win.
Here’s who our experts are picking to be in the College Football Playoff:
Andrea Adelson: 1. Michigan, 2. Washington, 3. Florida State, 4. Texas
Blake Baumgartner: 1. Washington, 2. Michigan, 3. Texas, 4. Alabama
Kyle Bonagura: 1. Michigan, 2. Washington, 3. Florida State, 4. Texas
Bill Connelly: 1. Michigan, 2. Washington, 3. Florida State, 4. Texas
Heather Dinich: 1. Michigan, 2. Washington, 3. Texas, 4. Alabama
David Hale: 1. Washington, 2. Michigan, 3. Florida State, 4. Texas
Chris Low: 1. Washington, 2. Michigan, 3. Texas, 4. Alabama
Harry Lyles Jr.: 1. Michigan, 2. Washington, 3. Florida State, 4. Texas
Ryan McGee: 1. Washington, 2. Michigan, 3. Texas, 4. Alabama
Adam Rittenberg: 1. Washington, 2. Michigan, 3. Texas, 4. Florida State
Alex Scarborough: 1. Washington, 2. Michigan, 3. Texas, 4. Alabama
Mark Schlabach: 1. Michigan, 2. Washington, 3. Texas, 4. Alabama
Paolo Uggetti: 1. Washington, 2. Michigan, 3. Texas, 4. Florida State
Tom VanHaaren: 1. Washington, 2. Michigan, 3. Texas, 4. Florida State
Dave Wilson: 1. Washington, 2. Michigan, 3. Texas, 4. Alabama