Orange Bowl 2015: Preview, Prediction for Clemson vs

The four teams that will be in this year's college football playoff successfully navigated that minefield.

This year, Oklahoma was so sure of its spot that coach Bob Stoops and quarterback Baker Mayfield did not even attend the Sooners watch party in Norman. No. 2 Alabama will play No. 3 Michigan State at the Cotton Bowl in the nightcap of the December 31 doubleheader.

"I think when you looked at the body of work and complete resume, that's what pushed MI state just slightly ahead of Oklahoma".

The game will be the sixth night game for the Spartans this year.

Asked whether the committee considered that placing No. 2 Alabama and a potential No. 3 Oklahoma in the Dallas-Fort Worth area might have been a disadvantage to Alabama, Long said, "Absolutely not". If the Buckeyes, who are No. 4 in our Power Rankings, switched places with Michigan State, Urban Meyer would have a 7.5% chance to win his fourth national championship.

At the very least, Michigan State and Alabama are stylistically similar.

For the playoff teams, a series of season-saving moments and turning points have brought them two wins away from a national championship. The payoff: Only two teams in the country scored more points this year than the Sooners (45.8 points per game).

Before winning bowl games the past four seasons, coach Mark Dantonio's first really good season at Michigan State ended with an embarrassing bowl loss to the Crimson Tide. They are making a record 19th appearance in the Orange Bowl, where they are 12-6 all time. No. 4 Oklahoma and No. 1 Clemson will meet each other 54 weeks after the Tigers handed the Sooners their second-worst bowl loss (40-6) in the Russell Athletic Bowl. Both teams boast four wins over ranked foes (Oregon, Michigan, Ohio State and Iowa for the Spartans; Tennessee, Baylor, TCU and Oklahoma State for the Sooners), but based on last week's playoff rankings Michigan State's collection of wins is over higher ranked teams than Oklahoma's. The Tigers are the only undefeated team remaining in the FBS.

The winners of those two games will then advance to the National Championship game in Glendale, AZ on January 11.

Oklahoma boasts a rich and successful Orange Bowl history.

A college football season filled with fantastic finishes led to a sleepy selection Sunday.

When: 9 p.m. PST Sunday. "Clearly Clemson's No. 1".

Ohio State, Notre Dame, Florida State and North Carolina round out the top 10. They tied for the Big Ten title that season, but lost out on the tiebreaker and didn't get to go the Rose Bowl.

The college football playoffs show begins at noon on ESPN.

Oklahoma won the Big 12 Conference outright for the first time since 2010 in the final year of a 12-team league.

Going into the game, Iowa was No. 4 in the College Football Ranking, with Michigan State No. 5.

The announcement lacked drama; committee chairman Jeff Long said Clemson was the "clear-cut" No. 1 seed in a field that was easier to set than it was in last season's inaugural year.