There was no debate about it. After Saturday night’s B1G Championship win against Iowa, Michigan State was in the College Football Playoff field.

The only debate was where Michigan State was going to be. Did the win do enough to not only bump the Spartans ahead of Iowa, but also ahead of idle Big 12 champ Oklahoma?

Well, the committee believed it was.

Michigan State earned the No. 3 seed and will take on No. 2 Alabama in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 31 in Dallas. It’ll mark the first time in the system’s brief history that the Spartans will play in a national semifinal.

They’ll square off with the SEC champ, which boasts a top-five defense and Heisman Trophy favorite Derrick Henry. The Spartans have allowed 12.5 points in their last four games. Still, they will presumably be an underdog against Nick Saban’s squad.

Saban is a former Michigan State coach, and actually had Mark Dantonio on his staff for four years in East Lansing.

The winner of the semifinal showdown will have a chance to square off with No. 1 Clemson/No. 4 Oklahoma for a national title on Jan. 11 in Glendale, Ariz.

The rest of the bowls are expected to be announced throughout Sunday afternoon.