The 2018–19 College Football Playoff was a single-elimination postseason tournament that determined the national champion of the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the fifth edition of the College Football Playoff (CFP) and involved the top four teams in the country as ranked by the College Football Playoff poll playing in two semifinals, with the winners of each advancing to the national championship game. Each participating team was the champion of its respective conference: No. 1 Alabama from the Southeastern Conference, No. 2 Clemson from the Atlantic Coast Conference, No. 3 Notre Dame, an FBS independent, and No. 4 Oklahoma from the Big 12 Conference.
| 2018–19 College Football Playoff | |
|---|---|
| Season | 2018 |
| Semifinals |
|
| Championship |
|
| Teams invited |
|
| Champions | Clemson (2nd CFP title, 3rd overall title) |
The playoff bracket's semifinal games were held at the Cotton Bowl Classic and the Orange Bowl on December 29, 2018, part of the season's slate of bowl games. The Cotton Bowl semifinal saw Clemson defeat Notre Dame, 30–3, and the Orange Bowl semifinal saw Alabama defeat Oklahoma by eleven points. By virtue of their victories, Alabama and Clemson advanced to the national championship game, held on January 7 in Santa Clara, California. The title game was a rematch of the national championship games in 2016 and 2017 and the 2018 Sugar Bowl semifinal. In the championship game, Clemson defeated Alabama, 44–16, to win their second CFP national championship and their third national championship in school history.
Bracket
edit| Semifinals | Championship | |||||||
| December 29 – Orange BowlHard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens | ||||||||
| 1 | Alabama | 45 | ||||||
| 4 | Oklahoma | 34 | January 7 – National ChampionshipLevi's Stadium, Santa Clara | |||||
| 1 | Alabama | 16 | ||||||
| December 29 – Cotton BowlAT&T Stadium, Arlington | 2 | Clemson | 44 | |||||
| 2 | Clemson | 30 | ||||||
| 3 | Notre Dame | 3 | ||||||
Selection and teams
editThe 2018–19 CFP selection committee was chaired by Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens. Its other members were former Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer, former The Arizona Republic reporter Paola Boivin, former Southern Miss head coach Jeff Bower, Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione, former Central Michigan athletic director Herb Deromedi, former head coach Ken Hatfield, Robert Morris University president Christopher B. Howard, former head coach Bobby Johnson, former NFL player Ronnie Lott, Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith, Georgia Tech athletic director Todd Stansbury, and Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin.[1]
The season's first CFP rankings were released on October 30, 2018, with three conferences represented in the top six. No. 1 Alabama, No. 3 LSU, and No. 6 Georgia represented the Southeastern Conference (SEC), No. 2 Clemson represented the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), and No. 5 Michigan represented the Big Ten Conference. Also debuting in the top six was No. 4 Notre Dame, an FBS independent.[2] The following week of games saw No. 1 Alabama shut out No. 3 LSU,[3] dropping the Tigers to No. 7 and allowing Oklahoma to rise to No. 6.[4] The top eight ranked teams did not change over the next two rankings releases on November 13 and 20,[5][6] the latter of which saw UCF ranked No. 9, making them the first Group of Five team to earn a CFP top ten ranking.[6] The final week of the regular season featured several games with implications for the penultimate rankings release; No. 8 Washington State fell to No. 16 Washington in the Apple Cup,[7] No. 10 Ohio State defeated rival No. 4 Michigan,[8] and No. 22 Texas A&M beat No. 7 LSU in a seven-overtime game that broke the FBS record for points scored in a game with 146.[9] Accordingly, the November 27 rankings dropped Michigan to No. 7, with Georgia and Oklahoma each moving up one spot and Ohio State jumping from No. 10 to No. 6. LSU and Washington State also dropped to Nos. 10 and 13, respectively.[10]
Each conference played their championship the following week. No. 11 Washington was first to win their conference with a defeat of No. 17 Utah in the Pac-12 Championship on November 30.[11] The next day, No. 1 Alabama defeated No. 4 Georgia in a rematch of the 2018 CFP national championship to win the SEC Championship.[12] No. 2 Clemson beat Pittsburgh to win the ACC Championship and No. 6 Ohio State defeated No. 21 Northwestern to win the Big Ten Championship, both by at least three possessions.[13][14] In the Big 12 Championship, No. 5 Oklahoma defeated No. 14 Texas,[15] while No. 8 UCF beat Memphis to win the American Athletic Conference (AAC) Championship.[16]
The final CFP rankings were released on December 2, 2018. Alabama, Clemson, and Notre Dame remained in the top three spots, and Oklahoma rose to No. 4 following Georgia's loss to earn the final playoff spot. Alabama and Oklahoma were assigned to the Orange Bowl semifinal, and Clemson and Notre Dame were assigned to the Cotton Bowl Classic semifinal.[17] No. 5 Georgia was matched with No. 15 Texas in the Sugar Bowl,[18] while No. 6 Ohio State was assigned to play No. 9 Washington in the 2019 Rose Bowl.[19] In the final two New Year's Six games, No. 7 Michigan and No. 10 Florida were assigned to the Peach Bowl[20] and AAC champion No. 8 UCF was sent to the Fiesta Bowl to play No. 11 LSU.[21]
| No. | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama (8–0) | Alabama (9–0) | Alabama (10–0) | Alabama (11–0) | Alabama (12–0) | Alabama (13–0) |
| 2 | Clemson (8–0) | Clemson (9–0) | Clemson (10–0) | Clemson (11–0) | Clemson (12–0) | Clemson (13–0) |
| 3 | LSU (7–1) | Notre Dame (9–0) | Notre Dame (10–0) | Notre Dame (11–0) | Notre Dame (12–0) | Notre Dame (12–0) |
| 4 | Notre Dame (8–0) | Michigan (8–1) | Michigan (9–1) | Michigan (10–1) | Georgia (11–1) | Oklahoma (12–1) |
| 5 | Michigan (7–1) | Georgia (8–1) | Georgia (9–1) | Georgia (10–0) | Oklahoma (11–1) | Georgia (11–2) |
| 6 | Georgia (7–1) | Oklahoma (8–1) | Oklahoma (9–1) | Georgia (10–1) | Ohio State (11–1) | Ohio State (12–1) |
Key: Team increased ranking from previous week Team decreased ranking from previous week Team selected to College Football Playoff
Playoff games
editSemifinals
editCotton Bowl Classic
edit| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 3 Notre Dame | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| No. 2 Clemson | 3 | 20 | 7 | 0 | 30 |
at AT&T Stadium • Arlington, Texas
- Date: December 29, 2018
- Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST
The Cotton Bowl semifinal matched No. 2 Clemson and No. 3 Notre Dame in the teams' fourth meeting; it was their first matchup since 2015, and Clemson entered leading the series 2–1.[22]
Orange Bowl
edit| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 4 Oklahoma | 0 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 34 |
| No. 1 Alabama | 21 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 45 |
at Hard Rock Stadium • Miami Gardens, Florida
- Date: December 29, 2018
- Game time: 8:00 p.m. EST
Championship game
edit| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 2 Clemson | 14 | 17 | 13 | 0 | 44 |
| No. 1 Alabama | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
at Levi's Stadium • Santa Clara, California
- Date: January 7, 2019
- Game time: 5:00 p.m. PST
Aftermath
editEach semifinal game placed in the top six most-watched cable broadcasts of the 2018 calendar year, with Alabama–Oklahoma receiving 19.0 million viewers and Clemson–Notre Dame receiving 16.8 million. Both games' audiences peaked in the first half and declined as Alabama and Clemson each grew and maintained their respective leads.[23] The Orange Bowl earned a Nielsen rating of 10.4, just beating out the Cotton Bowl's 10.3 rating.[24] The national championship averaged 26.97 million viewers, more than either of Alabama and Clemson's prior CFP national championship meetings, putting it as the No. 7 most-watched cable broadcast of all time.[25] In spite of this, the championship game's Nielsen rating of 14.6 was the lowest of any national championship game since 2012.[26]
References
edit- ^ "Year-by-year CFP selection committee membership". College Football Playoff. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
- ^ Tracy, Marc (October 30, 2018). "First College Football Playoff rankings: no surprises but a few conundrums". The New York Times. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
- ^ Sabin, Rainer (November 3, 2018). "Alabama instant analysis: Crimson Tide crushes LSU, 29–0". AL.com. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
- ^ Kelley, Kevin (November 6, 2018). "College Football Playoff rankings for Nov. 6 released". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
- ^ Boozell, Joe (November 14, 2018). "College Football Playoff rankings: UCF becomes highest-ranked Group of 5 team ever in new poll". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
- ^ a b Kenyon, David (November 20, 2018). "College Football Playoff notebook: rivalry week destined to finally affect poll". Bleacher Report. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
- ^ "Snow dawgs: No. 16 Washington topples No. 7 Wazzu 28–15". CBS Sports. Associated Press. November 24, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
- ^ Naveau, Jim (November 25, 2018). "OSU dominates UM: Big Ten Championship next stop for Buckeyes". The Lima News. Lima, Ohio. p. 21. Retrieved December 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Aggies top LSU in 7 OTs in highest-scoring game in FBS history". ESPN. November 25, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
- ^ Smith, Erick (November 27, 2018). "College Football Playoff rankings: Georgia moves into top four; Oklahoma leads Ohio State". USA Today. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
- ^ Kirschman, Lauren (December 1, 2018). "Defense lifts Huskies over Utah for crown, Rose Bowl berth". The Olympian. Olympia, Washington. p. B1. Retrieved December 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Byington, Alex (December 2, 2018). "Hurts to the rescue: ex-starter steps in for injured Tua, rallies Tide to SEC title". The Montgomery Advertiser. Montgomery, Alabama. p. C3. Retrieved December 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Connolly, Matt (December 2, 2018). "Tuneup for playoff: Clemson crushes Pittsburgh to capture fourth straight ACC championship". The State. Columbia, South Carolina. p. B1. Retrieved December 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Hartman, Marcus (December 3, 2018). "Haskins powers Ohio State in win over Northwestern". Dayton Daily News. Dayton, Ohio. p. C2. Retrieved December 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Slayden, Stacy (December 1, 2018). "Recap: Texas Longhorns allow 12 unanswered points in fourth quarter, lose in Big 12 Championship". KVUE. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
- ^ Murschel, Matt (December 2, 2018). "UCF rallies to defeat Memphis, clinches another league title". The Bradenton Herald. Bradenton, Florida. p. C1. Retrieved December 1, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Boozell, Joe (December 5, 2018). "College Football Playoff rankings: Alabama, Clemson earn top two spots in final poll". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
- ^ Mixon, Josh; Sudge, Brandon (December 3, 2018). "Georgia to meet Texas in Sugar Bowl". Ledger-Enquirer. Columbus, Georgia. p. B1. Retrieved December 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Marot, Michael (December 3, 2018). "OSU lands in old-fashioned Rose Bowl". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Cincinnati, Ohio. Associated Press. p. C2. Retrieved December 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Baumgardner, Nick (December 3, 2018). "Michigan's bowl game isn't ideal, but must do". Detroit Free Press. Detroit, Michigan. p. B1. Retrieved December 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Perfect UCF can't crack semis again". The Dispatch. Moline, Illinois. Associated Press. December 3, 2018. p. B6. Retrieved December 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "2018 Cotton Bowl central". Clemson Tigers Athletics. Clemson University. 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
- ^ Volner, Derek (December 30, 2018). "College Football Playoff semifinals among most-watched cable telecasts of 2018". ESPN Press Room. ESPN. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
- ^ Volner, Derek (December 30, 2018). "College Football Playoff semifinals continue to deliver strong ratings for ESPN; rank among top cable presentations of the year". ESPN Press Room. ESPN. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
- ^ Potter, Charlie (January 30, 2019). "2019 CFP title game was most-watched Alabama-Clemson matchup". 247Sports. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
- ^ "2019 national championship has lowest TV ratings for a title game since 2012". Yahoo! Sports. January 8, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
