The Michigan Wolverines are finally back on top of the college football world after 26 years. Last night, they defeated the Washington Huskies by a final score of 34-13. Going into this game, they were the top seed in the College Football Playoff (CFP) as well as favorites to win the championship outright. Since they were able to secure the championship, they made CFP history just as the 4-team format is coming to an end.
Michigan Wolverines Are the First #1 Seed to Beat a #2 Seed in CFP
The CFP had a 4-team format for 10 years, including last night. However, in the prior nine years, no #1 seed had ever beaten a #2 seed in the championship game. What is even more remarkable about this is Michigan vs. Washington was the fourth time in 10 years that a #1 seed faced a #2 seed in the championship.
That means that in years past, the #2 seed was 3-0 against the #1 seed. In the other six years, at least one of these top seeds failed to make the college football national championship.
Past #1 vs. #2 Results in CFP
So, what were the other three times the top seeds clashed in the CFP national championship? It happened in 2016, 2017, and 2019. Ironically, all three matchups were between Alabama and Clemson.
Alabama secured the national title for the first time. However, Deshaun Watson and company got revenge the next year and won the national championship as the #2 seed. Then, Trevor Lawrence led the charge for Clemson two years later and won in a 44-16 blowout.
Looking Back at the 4-Team Format
With this championship in the books, the Michigan Wolverines are the final team to win in the 4-team format. You can argue that it is a poetic ending that a #1 seed finally defeated a #2 seed in the final year of this format.
While it gave us a few classic championships, college football is moving forward. Next year, the CFP is expanding to 12 teams. It should allow more teams to go on a run and win the national championship.
However, there were only three champions in 10 years that were a 3-seed or lower. With that in mind, college football fans should not expect immediate results when it comes to Cinderella stories. We will have to wait and see if the top two seeds will find their way back to the national championship next year with eight additional opponents in their way.
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