If you're interested in getting an idea how the selection committee may pick the teams for the semifinals (Sugar and Rose) and the other top bowls (Orange, Peach, Cotton, Fiesta), I can recommend Stewart Mandel's The Thinking Fan's Guide to the College Football Playoff. Although he does whine a bit much about the Alabama-LSU BCS Championship Game, he does show why we shouldn't assume that the same factors that set up the BCS rankings will apply now. He even includes an exercise at the end. If you want to sound knowledgeable to your friends (and here!), this is a good book to have.