For college football fans, December is the most important month of the year. Not only does the selection committee pick the four playoff teams, but the two actual semifinal games actually take place on New Year’s Eve.

The college football playoff gets so much attention due to its selection process. Unlike professional football, where teams with the best records get into the playoffs, college football playoff teams are selected by a committee of Directors of Athletics, head coaches, and other important figures. Teams with undefeated records could lose their playoff spot to teams with losses as the selection committee considers strength of conference, strength of schedule, and overall performance.

Like every other year, fans across the country were debating which four teams the selection committee would pass through to the playoffs. College students were hoping their schools would get in as it meant more games to attend and more partying to ensue. This year, the selection committee ranked Clemson first, Alabama second, Michigan State third, and Oklahoma fourth. Clemson is the only team with an undefeated record, while the other three have one loss each.

This means Clemson will be matched up with Oklahoma in the Capital One Orange Bowl while Alabama will be matched up with Michigan State in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl. Although Clemson would seem like the favorite to win the championship, it’s hard to tell when college football is full of upsets. Let’s not forget the infamous Alabama Crimson Tide are in it as well. Unfortunately, Iowa and Stanford are the first two teams out. The winner of each bowl will go on to face each other for the national championship in Phoenix on January 11th of 2016.

The next few weeks will give college football fans what they’ve been waiting all season for. However, other teams are also playing in less important bowl games like the Rose Bowl and the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Some people only care about the team they’re supporting. For example, Mr. Highducheck only cares about the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Day when the Notre Dame Fighting Irish take on the Ohio State Buckeyes.