COLLEGE STATION (Talk1370.com) -- Texas A&M ended up on the outside looking in for the 2021 College Football Playoff, with the final selections announced Sunday morning.
The Aggies (8-1 SEC) will instead face off against the North Carolina Tar Heels (8-3 overall) on January 2 in the Orange Bowl.
Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, and Notre Dame took the top four spots in the final CFP rankings. A&M held steady at fifth, with Big 12 champion Oklahoma making the jump to sixth. The Tar Heels ranked 13th in the final rankings.
Alabama will face Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl semifinal, which has been relocated to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, while Clemson and Ohio State will face off in the Sugar Bowl semifinal in New Orleans. Both semifinal matchups will be played on New Year's Day.
"I am so proud of everyone who made this Aggie football season possible: players, coaches, trainers, doctors, health experts, the SEC, University administration, donors, former students, the 12th Man and our fans," Texas A&M Director of Athletics Ross Bjork said in a statement. "We could not have completed the regular season without much effort and commitment. If you would have said back in August we would play nine games, finish 8-1, undefeated at home and ranked in top 5 we would have signed up for this. In the modern era, we have never been in this position and it is only going to get better from here."
The matchup will be the first-ever meeting between the Aggies and the Tar Heels, and A&M's second-ever trip to the Orange Bowl - the first being a 19-14 loss to LSU in 1944.