SPARTAN FOOTBALL NEWS AND NOTES --
• Following its 16-13 win over Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game, Michigan State (12-1, 7-1 Big Ten) was selected the third seed in the four-team College Football Playoff and will play second-seeded and SEC Champion Alabama (12-1, 7-1 SEC) in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Thursday, Dec. 31 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas (8 p.m., ESPN). No. 1 seed Clemson (13-0) will face No. 4 Oklahoma (11-1) in the Capital One Orange Bowl, also on Dec. 31. The 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship Game is set for Jan.
The Stage is Set: No. 3 Spartans Ready for CFP Semifinal Showdown vs. No. 2 Alabama
