College Football Playoff: Winners and losers from a roiling bracket reveal and bowl selection day

Whether it was intentional or not (probably not), the College Football Playoff selection committee ultimately acted out of self-preservation Sunday with the reveal of the 2025 field generally and the seven at-large teams specifically.

Alabama made the cut with the No. 9 seed.

So did No. 10 Miami.

They were the final two at-large teams selected but, by far, the most important — not because they necessarily deserved bids at the expense of Notre Dame but because of the collateral...