Alabama is in, winning the great debate over Ohio State to reach the College Football Playoff yet again.

The Crimson Tide got the nod Sunday for the fourth and final spot over Buckeyes and will play Clemson on Jan. 1 in the Sugar Bowl. Oklahoma and Georgia will meet in the Rose Bowl semifinal a few hours earlier.

Tide or Buckeyes was the question facing the selection committee, the toughest call in the four-year history of the playoff.

The Tide had been more consistent and lost just once. The Buckeyes lost twice, including a 31-point loss at unranked Iowa, but have the more impressive set of victories. Ohio State won the Big Ten while Alabama did not even win its Southeastern Conference division.

Committee chairman Kirby Hocutt said the loss to Iowa hurt Ohio State and the Buckeyes were not close enough to the Tide for the Big Ten championship result — a 27-21 win over Wisconsin — to matter.

“As we saw Alabama play week in and week in out, the selection committee believed Alabama was the better football team,” Hocutt told ESPN. “When we looked at Ohio State, when you looked at their resume it was impressive but it wasn’t enough for the selection committee to place them in above Alabama.”

Alabama (11-1) coach Nick Saban told ESPN he trusted the committee.

“I really do believe based on the total body of work that our team really deserved to be in,” Saban said.

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said he was not surprised that the loss to Iowa cost the Buckeyes.

“Three against the top 16 teams in America,” Meyer told ESPN. “But I get it.”