After its win over Georgia in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday, Alabama earned the top spot Sunday in the final College Football Playoff rankings.

Most observers believed the Crimson Tide would be No. 1, but there were some who felt Michigan could also make a case for the top spot based on its dominating wins over Ohio State and Iowa to end the season.

During the CFP Selection Show on Sunday, ESPN’s Rece Davis asked CFP Chairman Gary Barta why the Crimson Tide ultimately got the nod over the Wolverines.

“Well, let’s begin with the game that was played last night,” Barta said. “Coming into the game, Georgia was undefeated, they’ve been ranked No. 1 by the committee all along, and so not only did Alabama beat Georgia but the way they beat them, They controlled the game pretty much from start to finish. So there’s that and when you add that to their other body of work, their other wins against Ole Miss, Arkansas, etc. …”

Barta was quick to credit Michigan for the way it played to end the season, but he added that in the end the decision wasn’t that close.

”The committee came out of there with a strong consensus that Alabama was (No.) I and Michigan was (No.) 2,” he said.