College Football Playoff Selection Show 2016: Date, Start Time, Live-Stream Info

At the conclusion of college football's championship weekend, the four participants in this season's College Football Playoff will be decided and officially announced as part of the CFP Selection Show Sunday.

While schools like Alabama and Ohio State appear to be virtual locks, the other spots are less certain, and some of the conference championship game results will go a long way toward determining who will play for a national title.

The CFP rankings have been the subject of great debate for much of the season, but here is everything you need to know about when and where to watch the determination of college football's four best teams.

Date: Sunday, Dec. 4

Start Time: 12 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Breaking Down Top Title Contenders

Alabama

The Alabama Crimson Tide have been the No. 1 team in the nation for essentially the entire 2016 season, and that won't change entering the College Football Playoff.

'Bama are a complete team, but the two biggest factors in whether they repeat as national champion are the defense and the play of freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts.

The Tide defense has long been dominant under head coach Nick Saban, and that hasn't changed in 2016. As seen in this tweet courtesy of SEC Network's Cole Cubelic, Alabama ranks first in many of the most important defensive categories:

Alabama still needs to put points on the board despite its remarkable defense, and Hurts has been the driving force behind that.

According to Alabama Football, Hurts is having one of the best-ever seasons by an Alabama quarterback, as he is second only to Blake Sims in total offense and touchdowns responsible for with games still left to be played.

The Crimson Tide don't have a stud running back like they usually do, but Hurts has picked up the slack with his legs. Also, he has a remarkable bevy of weapons in the passing game, including ArDarius Stewart, Calvin Ridley and O.J. Howard.

Alabama may not be unbeatable, but it is the unquestioned favorite entering the CFP due to the fact that it has no glaring weaknesses.

Ohio State

The Ohio State Buckeyes pose an interesting dilemma for the CFP committee in that they are a one-loss team with a great resume, but they don't even have the opportunity to play for the Big Ten title due to their loss to Penn State.

Despite that, keeping OSU out of the CFP is a tough sell due to the fact that it owns road wins over Oklahoma and Wisconsin, as well as home victories against Nebraska and Michigan.

Although the Buckeyes are 11-1 and played in college football's best conference, they had their struggles, such as a four-point win over Northwestern and one-point victory against Michigan State.

The triumph over Michigan was far from easy as well, and it can be argued they were lucky to come out on top due to how close quarterback J.T. Barrett's fourth-down conversion was in double overtime.

Because of Ohio State's quality of schedule, however, it seems nearly impossible for it to be held out of the College Football Playoff.

If it does make the CFP, it will need to raise its level of play, and that starts with Barrett. While the junior signal-caller has run the ball effectively, his passing is somewhat pedestrian, as evidenced by his career-low completion percentage of 61.9 percent.

Barrett couldn't get anything going through the air against Michigan, and ESPN's Damien Woody was far from impressed:

The Buckeyes' go-to play down the stretch in that game was to keep the ball in Barrett's hands, though, and he got the job done when it counted.

Ohio State is undoubtedly a flawed team, but head coach Urban Meyer is one of the best in the business, and his track record at OSU speaks for itself, per SportsCenter:

Few expected the Buckeyes to win the national title two seasons ago, but they shocked both Alabama and Oregon as an underdog to take the trophy.

The Buckeyes aren't exactly flying under the radar, but the combination of Meyer and Barrett may be all it needs to go on another title run.

Clemson

The Clemson Tigers gained some valuable experience by reaching the national championship game last season, and they undoubtedly have enough talent to do so again this time around.

Aside from a surprising 43-42 loss to Pittsburgh, Clemson is playing its best football right now, particularly on offense.

The Tigers dominated South Carolina in a rivalry game last week, and the 56-7 score set a record for games between ACC and SEC teams, according to TigerNet.com:

Clemson goes as quarterback Deshaun Watson does, and the Heisman Trophy candidate has been on fire over the past month.

Watson has thrown for 3,626 yards and 34 touchdowns this season, and he was especially dominant in November, per Clemson Sports Information Director Tim Bourret:

In addition to that, Watson has an impressive arsenal of weapons at his disposal that includes running back Wayne Gallman, wide receivers Mike Williams, Deon Cain and Artavis Scott, and tight end Jordan Leggett.

It can be argued that there is no more talented offense in the nation, and that fact alone makes the Tigers a huge threat to return to the CFP title game and finish the job they fell just short of accomplishing last season.

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