On December 19 the college bowl season begins as Alcorn State battles North Carolina A&T in the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl. It is the first of 42 games that will be played over the next three weeks. While a number of notable bowls are on the schedule—including the Rose, Fiesta, and Citrus (Go, Blue!)—the highlight is the College Football Playoff (CFP), which determines the national champion. On December 31 Oklahoma and Clemson face off in the Orange Bowl, while Michigan State and Alabama clash in the Cotton Bowl. The winners will play in the title game on January 11 in Glendale, Arizona.
This is the second year of the College Football Playoff, which replaced the controversial BCS. Under the previous system, two teams were selected to play in a title game based on computer rankings and polls. However, after much criticism, a play-off system was adopted for the 2014–15 season. In the CFP four teams are chosen by a 13-member selection committee composed of current and former college administrators and coaches. The autonomous committee takes a number of things into consideration, including polls, computer ranking, strength of schedule, and record against common opponents.