Sports on the Ticket

Illustration of Judge David S. Terry stabbing S.A. Hopkins of the Vigilance Committee in 1856. Bettmann/Getty

🏈 The fight over the College Football Playoff (CFP) selection committee’s decision to snub Florida State University and seed Alabama in the national playoffs is spilling into the Senate. The situation is pitting Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who is calling for full transparency about the decision, against Alabama Sens. Tuberville and Katie Britt (R), who are applauding Alabama’s selection and dismissing Scott’s demands for texts, emails and recordings related to the CFP panel’s deliberations as a waste of time.

The 2023-24 College Football Playoff will conclude with semifinals and the national championship spread out in early January. The semifinals are set for Monday, Jan. 1, with the title game a week later on Jan. 8 in Houston. The four teams selected to this year’s CFP field were Michigan, Washington, Texas and Alabama.

Here are the CFP semifinal matchups:

  • No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Alabama | Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California | Monday, Jan. 1 at 5 p.m. ET | ESPN
  • No. 2 Washington vs. No. 3 Texas | Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana | Monday, Jan. 1 at 8:45 p.m. ET | ESPN

The winners of both semifinals will play in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game in Houston, Texas on Monday, Jan. 8 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Alabama took the fourth and final College Football Playoff spot over Florida State. The Crimson Tide won the SEC Championship with a 12-1 record. However, Florida State won the ACC Championship with a 13-0 undefeated record.

The Seminoles are without starting quarterback Jordan Travis which surely impacted the outlook of Florida State’s playoff hopes. Alabama getting in over Florida State makes it the first time an undefeated conference champion from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC or Pac-12 misses the playoffs.