Alabama, Michigan, Georgia and Cincinnati Make College Football Playoff

By BY ALAN BLINDER from NYT Sports The semifinal games are scheduled for New Year’s Eve, with the national championship planned for Jan. 10 in Indianapolis.https://nyti.ms/3lBCmuo

Alabama Picks Georgia Apart, Setting Course for Another Playoff

By BY ALAN BLINDER from NYT Sports No. 3 Alabama, the reigning national champion, fell behind early. Then it pounded the country’s best defense to run away with the Southeastern Conference championship.https://nyti.ms/3rxQwR7

Utah Dominates Oregon, Upending Pac-12’s Playoff Hopes

By BY ALAN BLINDER from NYT Sports The third-ranked Ducks fell on the road, the second loss for the Pac-12’s best team.https://nyti.ms/3kVMvlh

Initial Playoff Rankings Show Georgia at Top and Numerous Potential Contenders

By BY BILLY WITZ from NYT Sports The other would-be semifinalists in the first rankings of the College Football Playoff included Alabama, Michigan State and Oregon.https://nyti.ms/3bzKcz4

Could Cincinnati Shake Up the College Football Playoff Field?

By BY VICTOR MATHER from NYT Sports The Bearcats are No. 2 in the Associated Press poll and appear to be in good position to make the playoff. That’s if they win out and find favor among those who select the semifinalists.https://nyti.ms/3n2Nnog

Could Cincinnati Shake Up the College Football Playoff Field?

By BY VICTOR MATHER from NYT Sports The Bearcats are No. 2 in the Associated Press poll and appear to be in good position to make the playoff. That’s if they win out and find favor among those who select the semifinalists.https://nyti.ms/3DZmgSe

Cincinnati, Even if Perfect, Could Miss the Playoff. Luke Fickell Has Notre Dame First.

By BY ALAN BLINDER from NYT Sports The seventh-ranked Bearcats play at No. 9 Notre Dame on Saturday. A loss would doom whatever shot they have at reaching the College Football Playoff, and a win would still put Cincinnati Coach Luke Fickell in the position of campaigning.https://nyti.ms/39Yi6Nq

A 12-Team Playoff Isn’t a Done Deal. Math and History Suggest a ‘Yes’ Looms.

By BY ALAN BLINDER from NYT Sports If the College Football Playoff field triples, the competition will most likely become more lucrative than the Division I men’s basketball tournament.https://nyti.ms/3F43drg

A.C.C., Big Ten and Pac-12 Form Coalition to Counter SEC’s Might

By BY ALAN BLINDER from NYT Sports The move was far short of a merger and came less than a month after Oklahoma and Texas said they would leave the Big 12 for the SEC.https://nyti.ms/3DfIFL9

College Football Playoff’s Size Could Triple in Coming Years

By BY ALAN BLINDER from NYT Sports Answering sustained pressure for a system that shuts out fewer teams, a powerful group of executives recommended that the field expand from four to 12 teams. Other officials will consider the proposal in the coming weeks.https://nyti.ms/3zhuAeq

Pandemic Victories for College Sports Have All Come With Caveats

By BY BILLY WITZ from NYT Sports And the problems made clear in staging a football season now shift to a basketball season that is looking toward a complicated March.https://nyti.ms/2XCfXAA

Nick Saban Was Famous for Defense. Alabama’s Offense Is the Star Now.

By BY ALAN BLINDER from NYT Sports The top-ranked team in college football will play for a championship on Monday with a dazzling offense. It wasn’t always that way for the team from Tuscaloosa.https://nyti.ms/2LHhL8F

What to Watch as Alabama Plays Ohio State for the College Football Playoff Title

By BY ALAN BLINDER AND GILLIAN R. BRASSIL from NYT Sports The Crimson Tide and the Buckeyes will face off for the national championship in a season that scuttled to the finish line amid relentless coronavirus throes.https://nyti.ms/35rk6vu

Virus Cases at Ohio State Loom Ahead of National Championship Game

By BY BILLY WITZ AND ALAN BLINDER from NYT Sports Ohio State’s problems have prompted discussions about whether the game against Alabama should be postponed from Jan. 11.https://nyti.ms/392Jqch

Alabama Reaches National Title Game by Easily Brushing Aside Notre Dame

By BY BILLY WITZ from NYT Sports Notre Dame never really threatened the Crimson Tide in their College Football Playoff semifinal.https://nyti.ms/3n24zbv

College Football Powers Vie for Playoff’s Title Game

By BY ALAN BLINDER AND GILLIAN R. BRASSIL from NYT Sports Alabama will play Notre Dame and Clemson will meet Ohio State in College Football Playoff semifinals on Friday as a chaotic season nears its end.https://nyti.ms/380Oizn

Virus Disrupts College Football Playoffs Even Before Kickoff

By BY BILLY WITZ from NYT Sports Both semifinals are being played in abnormal circumstances: The Rose Bowl will be in Texas, and the Sugar Bowl will feature teams hit hard by the coronavirus.https://nyti.ms/3hvIy3E

Alabama Leads Rankings as College Football Playoff Field Is Set

By BY ALAN BLINDER from NYT Sports The semifinals will be played on Jan. 1 in Louisiana and Texas, with the national championship scheduled for the Miami area on Jan. 11.https://nyti.ms/3h3cxQm

College Football Has Been Messy, So Why Not End That Way, Too?

By BY BILLY WITZ from NYT Sports An unconvincing win by Ohio State and several odd circumstances during the pandemic have left the College Football Playoff with a jumble to consider.https://nyti.ms/37zItbT

Big Ten Changes Rules to Let Ohio State Play for Conference Championship

By BY BILLY WITZ from NYT Sports The shift is yet another example of college football changing its rules on the fly during the pandemic.https://nyti.ms/3oBRiHP