The CFP semifinals are set. Is there controversy? Always.

Was there controversy when the four-team field for the College Football Playoffs was announced on Sunday?

Of course, there was. There always is. The CFP, we should all be reminded, WAS BUILT for controversy.

Four spots. Five power conferences and a Group of Five that continue to be on the outside clawing and scratching to get in. Gee, what could go wrong?

The weekly argumentative tension of Who’s In and Who’s Out has become an industry unto itself. It drives both the interest and the frustration with the enterprise of big-time college football. It’s also good for business.

And so it was again on Sunday after a COVID-ravaged season that none of us—players, coaches, fans, and media—will ever forget.

Undefeated Alabama (11-0) was the No. 1 seed after beating Florida 52-46 for the SEC championship on Saturday night. No argument there.

Clemson (10-1) avenged its only regular-season loss to Notre Dame, 34-10, in the ACC championship game and was an unquestioned No. 2.

After that, things got dicey.

Ohio State (6-0), the Big Ten champion, was the No. 3 seed despite only playing six games. No one should have been surprised. The CFP selection committee has had the Buckeyes ranked in the top four since day one. Ohio State looked a little vulnerable in a 22-10 win over Northwestern in the Big Ten championship game. But there are still those who thought it unfair that Ohio State got in with a significantly-thinner body of work.

Notre Dame (10-1) got the No. 4 spot despite losing to Clemson decisively less than 24 hours before the announcement of the pairings. But the Fighting Irish could hang their hat on a 47-40 win over Clemson (without QB Trevor Lawrence) in South Bend on Nov. 7. Notre Dame also beat No. 13 in North Carolina 31-17 in Chapel Hill.

Texas A&M (8-1), whose only loss was to No. 1 Alabama (by 28 points), felt it had made a convincing case by winning eight of nine games on an all-SEC schedule, which included a 41-38 victory over Florida in College Station. But the Aggies remained at No. 5 and will play North Carolina in the Orange Bowl.

Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond issued a one-word response on his Twitter Feed:

“JOKE.”

But controversies aside, we have a college football playoff, something that looked so improbable when the virus was raging this summer. The players and coaches have been through an unprecedented grind that goes back to June, when they were brought back to campus early in an effort to manage the virus. We, the consumers of college football, have benefited from their sacrifice. I can’t imagine going through this Fall without football.

And remember this: Normally there is almost a one-month gap from the time the pairings are announced to when the semifinals actually are played. Now it will be only 12 days until the national semifinals are held on Jan. 1 in New Orleans and Arlington, Tex.

“We’re going to try to manage it like a bye week,” said Alabama coach Nick Saban on Sunday. “That is a routine the players understand.”

Here are the games.

JANUARY 1, 2021

Rose Bowl: No. 1 Alabama (11-0) vs. No. 4 Notre Dame (10-1), Arlington, Tex., 5 p.m., ESPN.

The line: Oddsmaker Danny Sheridan lists Alabama as a 19 1/2 point favorite.

This game was originally scheduled to be played in Pasadena, Calif. But state COVID restrictions were going to prohibit fans and family members from attending the game. In fact, earlier in the week Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly suggested that his team might not play in the Rose Bowl under those conditions.

The Rose Bowl applied for a waiver of those restrictions but that request was denied. That’s when CFP officials moved the game to AT&T Stadium with an announcement on Saturday night. In fact, there will be as many as 16,000 fans and family members allowed to attend the game.

As the No. 1 seed, Alabama could have chosen to play in New Orleans which is geographically closer for their fans. But due to local restrictions the Louisiana Superdome will allow only 3,000 fans to attend.

One other interesting twist. Saban said Sunday that he would give his players three days off for the Holidays.

“I don’t have the heart to tell the players they can’t go home for Christmas,” Saban said in an interview on ESPN.

Notre Dame’s Kelly said his players would remain in South Bend for the Christmas Holiday.

Sugar Bowl: No. 2 Clemson (10-1) vs. No. 3 Ohio State (6-0), New Orleans, 8:45 p.m., ESPN.

The line: Oddsmaker Danny Sheridan lists Clemson as a 7 1/2 point favorite.

This is the second straight year these two teams have played in the CFP semifinals. Last season Clemson won a 29-23 classic in Glendale, Ariz., which launched the Tigers to the CFP championship game against LSU.

This will be the sixth straight season that Clemson has been in the playoffs. The Tigers won national championships in 2016 and 2018.

But this time, the circumstances are very different.

Clemson, let by quarterback Trevor Lawrence and running back Travis Eitienne, played an 11-game schedule. It would have been 12 but a game at Florida State was postponed and was not rescheduled.

The Tigers’ only loss was 47-40 at Notre Dame on Nov. 7. But Clemson played without Lawrence and a host of defensive linemen. The whole world saw how valuable Lawrence is to Clemson on Saturday during the rematch with Notre Dame. He threw for 322 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another in a 34-10 win.

The Big Ten originally pulled out of the 2020 college football season on Aug. 11 but then had a change of heart and returned to play on Oct. 23. The Ohio State schedule originally had nine games but three were cancelled—including its rivalry with Michigan—by the COVID virus.

There is no question that with the quicker turnround to the semifinals coming, Ohio State will be a healthier, more rested team than the others in the field.

Will it make a difference for the Buckeyes? We’ll see.

Last week, in interview with Rich Eisen, Swinney made it clear that he didn't think the Buckeyes should be able to get in with only six wins.

"If I was on the committee I would have a hard time leaving out a 10-1 Texas A&M or an 11-game Florida over a team that played six games," Swinney said.

The CFP national championship game is set for Jan. 11 in Miami.

The rest of the New Year’s Six bowl games were also announced on Sunday:

Cotton Bowl: No. 7 Florida (8-3) vs. No. 6 Oklahoma (8-2), Dec. 30 in Arlington, Tex. 8 p.m., ESPN

Peach Bowl: No. 8 Cincinnati (9-0) vs. No. 9 Georgia (8-2), Jan. 1 in Atlanta. 12:30 p.m., ESPN.

Fiesta Bowl: No. 25 Oregon (4-2) vs. No. 10 Iowa State (8-3), Jan. 2 in Glendale, Ariz., 4 p.m., ESPN.

Orange Bowl: No. 5 Texas A&M (8-1) vs. No. 13 North Carolina (8-3), Jan. 2 in Miami., 8 p.m., ESPN.