College Football Rankings 2014: Week 16 Playoff, AP, Amway Standings Revealed

The selection committee has announced its final rankings, and Alabama, Oregon, Florida State and Ohio State are the four teams that will play in the first inaugural College Football Playoff. 

Let the debate begin.

Below, you'll find both major polls and a look back at the weekend that ultimately helped determine the committee's decision. One thing is for certain: With six deserving teams for this year's playoff and so many talented teams near the top of the rankings, we can count on a memorable bowl season. 

Analysis

There were three possible outcomes over the weekend when it came to determining this year's four playoff teams:

1. Two of the top six teams in action could have lost, making the selection committee's job truly easy.
2. More than two of the top six teams in action could have lost, sending college football into disarray (let's be honest: secretly, this is the scenario most people not only predicted but also wanted). 
3. All six teams could win, making the committee's ultimate decision—and need to shut out three deserving teams—truly tragic.

And so we were left with tragedy.

There was never going to be tragedy for Alabama and Oregon, of course. Both teams romped in their conference title games and thoroughly deserve their places in the playoff. Both topped excellent conferences (the SEC and Pac-12, respectively), have legitimate Heisman candidates (Amari Cooper and Marcus Mariota, respectively) and are prestigious football programs.

While Nick Saban has established a dynasty at Alabama, Oregon coach Mark Helfrich is still making a name for himself. Part of what has to make this year's conference championship so sweet is that it further removes him from the long shadow of former coach Chip Kelly, now with the Philadelphia Eagles.

"I've wanted to win this year for a lot of reasons," offensive coordinator Scott Frost told Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports. "But I wanted to win so bad for Mark Helfrich. People were going to be quick to judge Mark no matter what happened because of the success Chip had. Maybe people will finally realize what a great coach they do have coaching here at Oregon."

If he leads Oregon to a national title, something Kelly never did, one would guess the Oregon faithful would absolutely realize that.

Of course, Alabama fans already know they have a gem in Saban. And this year may be remembered as his finest triumph of all, as Barrett Sallee of Bleacher Report notes:

We all left 'Bama for dead when they lost to Ole Miss. So much for that, right?

And so with the top two secured, that left Florida State, Ohio State, TCU and Baylor—all with warts, and yet all deserving of playoff spots.

Florida State was undefeated, the defending national champions and amid a 29-game winning streak, but they struggled all season against inferior competition and always seemed to survive by the skin of their teeth. Ohio State came on strong late but had the worst loss of the contenders against Virginia Tech. TCU had a strong resume and was playing well down the stretch but lost to Baylor. And the Bears had that head-to-head win over TCU but played a pitiful non-conference schedule. 

The committee couldn't really go wrong, though it couldn't really go right, either. Ultimately, it made its choices, and Baylor and TCU are left to try to accept that they simply didn't do enough to get into the playoff this year.

And the rest of us are left eagerly to await the first College Football Playoff.