Alabama's 28-7 loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship Game didn't impact its ranking, as it stayed at No. 9, and American champ Tulane and Sun Belt champ James Madison earned the final two automatic qualifiers as the two highest-ranked conference champions after Duke became a five-loss ACC champ.

This showdown in College Station kicks off a trio of playoff games on Dec. 20 and is easily the most intriguing matchup of the first round. Miami moved into the 12-team field in a bit of a surprise, jumping Notre Dame in the final selections despite ranking behind the Fighting Irish in the previous five weeks.

Get the best LSU vs. Oklahoma predictions ahead of Saturday's matchup in Norman. Free college football picks for November 29.

Few teams have played as well as No. 8 Oklahoma in recent weeks and the Sooners have a chance to end the regular season riding a four-game winning streak. Oklah