Washington (13-0) has been awarded the No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoff and will meet No. 3 Texas (12-1) in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, the CFP selection committee announced Sunday morning.
Big Ten champion Michigan (13-0) received the No. 1 seed and will encounter No. 4 Alabama (the 12-1 SEC champ) in the Rose Bowl. The winners will collide in Houston for the national championship game on Jan. 8.
That decision excluded No. 5 Florida State — despite the Seminoles' undefeated 13-0 record and ACC title — as well as back-to-back national champ Georgia (12-1), which slid five spots to No. 6 after being upset by Alabama in the SEC championship game.
Said announcement comes two days after UW defeated No. 5 Oregon 34-31 in the final Pac-12 championship game, downing the Ducks for the second time this season.
Texas, meanwhile, obliterated No. 19 Oklahoma State 49-21 Saturday to win a Big 12 title and position itself for a playoff run. Longhorn quarterback Quinn Ewers completed 76.1% of his passes and threw for 452 yards and four touchdowns (with one interception) along the way.
The Huskies had a legitimate argument to secure the No. 1 spot. Their four ranked wins (over No. 5 Oregon twice, No. 15 Arizona and No. 20 Oregon State) are more than Michigan's three (over No. 10 Penn State, No. 6 Ohio State and No. 16 Iowa). They also touted a superior strength of record and strength of schedule.
Of course, UW and Texas also met in the Alamo Bowl last December, with Washington picking up a 27-20 win. The Huskies led 27-10 in the fourth quarter, before surrendering 10 late points in what was essentially a Texas home game in San Antonio. UW quarterback Michael Penix Jr. threw for 287 yards and two touchdowns, while running back Wayne Taulapapa added 108 rushing yards with 7.7 yards per carry and another score.
