For college football fans who want a national sport, with life and breath and diversity beyond two all-powerful conferences, Texas Christian University has saved your season. The Horned Frogs lost their bid to go unbeaten Saturday, but they did enough in defeat to hold on to a College Football Playoff bid amid a field crowded with Big Ten and Southeastern Conference behemoths.
TCU (12–1) is the No. 3 seed. The rest of the four-team bracket consists of blueblood powers from the two revenue-inhaling leagues: No. 2 Michigan (13–0) and No. 4 Ohio State (11–1) from the Big Ten, and No. 1 Georgia (13–0) from the SEC. Just outside the top four are No. 5 Alabama (10–2) and No. 6 Tennessee (10–2) of the SEC. The other school that was in the mix into the final weekend was USC, currently of the Pac-12 but ticketed for the Big Ten in 2024.
- Playoff Previews: Georgia vs. Ohio State | Michigan vs. TCU
