The 2024 College Football Playoff field is set after a wild finish to the season that left several teams staking a claim for inclusion in the final year before the four-team field expands to 12. Alabama beat out No. 5 Florida State for the final spot, despite the fact that the Seminoles are 13-0 and won the ACC championship.
With an SEC Championship Game victory against two-time reigning national champion Georgia on Saturday, the Crimson Tide made their case and got the nod. Now, they face the daunting challenge of taking on Michigan in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1. It will be the first meeting between the powers since the 2020 Citrus Bowl and just the sixth of all time.
Later that night, No. 2 Washington and No. 3 Texas will play in the Sugar Bowl. The two have only played five times before, but should be familiar with one another after facing off in the Alamo Bowl last season. The Huskies won 27-20. Both have only improved since then, setting the stage for a rematch with massive implications.
The betting windows are open. Here are the early odds for the national semifinals.
College Football Playoff odds
No. 1 Michigan (-1.5) vs. No. 4 Alabama
No. 2 Washington vs. No. 3 Texas (-4)
Alabama's Jalen Milroe is more dynamic than any quarterback the Wolverines have faced this season, and now he is playing with surging confidence after struggling to win the starting job early in the year. Michigan's defense has risen to every test, though, never allowing more than 24 points and holding eight opponents to seven points or fewer.
Texas and Washington will be a battle of two elite quarterbacks as Michael Penix Jr. squares off with Quinn Ewers of the Longhorns, who just passed for a career-high 452 yards and four touchdowns in the Big 12 Championship Game. Penix threw for 319 yards in Pac-12 Championship Game to go over 4,000 yards passing for the second year in a row.
