This season was special for the 12 teams that made the College Football Playoff. Some experienced their first playoff appearance, while others made their return. The No. 9 seed Tennessee Volunteers (10-3) made their first-ever playoff appearance.

The Big Ten and SEC have played five head-to-head games during Bowl Season. The Big Ten is 4-1 in those contests, the only loss being Iowa ‘s 27-24 Music City Bowl loss to Missouri. The conference also boasts two CFP Semifinal participants ( Ohio State, Penn State) to the SEC’s one ( Texas ).

One of Alabama's fiercest apologists over the course of this frustrating season has been ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum, but even he had to admit defeat after the loss to Michigan during an appearance on ESPN's Get Up, via Awful Announcing on X.

This was the lowest number of wins Alabama had achieved in a season since 2007, the inaugural season under legendary head coach Nick Saban. On "The Paul Finebaum Show," SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum noted that DeBoer has significant work ahead to turn things around. "I think that next year he has to change the direction," Finebaum said.

Paul Finebaum compared current conversations around Georgia to another SEC powerhouse with high expectations. On Monday's McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, Finebaum addressed a perception that the SEC is no longer a dominant entity.

Paul Finebaum has worked in sports media for over 40 years, including for the Birmingham Post-Herald and, later, the Mobile Press-Register. From 2011 to 2012, he wrote a college football column for Sports Illustrated before joining ESPN in 2013.