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No. 3 MSU to face Alabama in Cotton Bowl in semifinal

Michigan State finished No. 3 in the final College Football Playoff rankings released on Sunday and will play No. 2 Alabama in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 31 in Arlington, Texas.

The Spartans (12-1) moved past Oklahoma, which finished No. 4 and will play No. 1 Clemson in the Orange Bowl. It is the second straight trip to the Cotton Bowl for Michigan State, which defeated Baylor in last season’s game.

“That was probably where we spent most of the time, as expected,” playoff committee chairman Jeff Long said. “We had great discussion, great debate.

“Both were conference champions with four wins over top-25 teams.