Unveiling the New College Football Playoff Format
How Many Teams Are in the College Football Playoff?
In this new era of college football, the CFP will now include 12 teams. This significant expansion from the previous four-team format is set to bring more teams and more excitement to the postseason. The playoff's direct predecessor, the BCS, had just two teams, but now, a larger field will determine the national champion.
The increased number of teams allows for a more diverse and competitive postseason, giving more opportunities for teams from different conferences to make a run at the title. It also adds an extra layer of intrigue as teams battle it out for one of the coveted spots in the playoffs.
What Teams Make the College Football Playoff?
The field of the 12-team College Football Playoff will consist of five automatic qualifiers from the five highest conference champions. These teams have earned their way in by winning their respective conference title games. In addition to the automatic qualifiers, there will be seven at-large bids.
The four highest-ranked conference champions will be seeded 1-4 and given a first-round bye. The fifth-highest-ranked conference champion will receive the final automatic bid. If the fifth champion isn't included in the top 12 of the CFP top 25 on Sunday, it will be slotted in as the No. 12 seed.
The remainder of the field will be comprised of seven at-large teams. Seeds 5-8 will host a first-round home game against seeds 9-12, respectively, on campus or at another location of their choosing.
How Does the College Football Playoff Format Work?
The expanded 12-team CFP field introduces several new elements. After the first-round games, there will be no "re-seeding" to the bracket. This means that the top seeds will face the winners of specific matchups in the subsequent rounds.
For example, No. 1 will play the winner of the No. 8/No. 9 game; No. 2 will play No. 7/No. 10; No. 3 will play No. 6/No. 11; and No. 4 will play No. 5/No. 12. This format adds an element of unpredictability and keeps the playoff exciting until the very end.
It's important to note that the selection committee will not make special arrangements to avoid conference matchups or regular-season rematches in the playoff. Instead, they will assign bowl games based on seeding and historic conference ties.
College Football Playoff Schedule
The 2024-25 College Football Playoff will kick off on Friday, Dec. 20, with one of four first-round games. The remaining three first-round games will take place on Saturday, Dec. 21. After a 10-day hiatus, the CFP will resume with the quarterfinals on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
The four quarterfinal games will be played at the site of the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona; the Peach Bowl in Atlanta; the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California; and the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. The two semifinal games will take place on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 at Hard Rock Stadium (Orange Bowl) in Miami Gardens, Florida and Friday, Jan. 10 at AT&T Stadium (Cotton Bowl) in Arlington, Texas.
The CFP will then conclude with the national championship game on Monday, Jan. 20 at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
What Bowl Games Are in the CFP?
The 2024-25 College Football Playoff will consist of the Fiesta, Peach, Rose, and Sugar Bowls in the quarterfinals. The No. 1 team will have the right to pick which of the four sites they want to play at. The CFP semifinals will be played at the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl.
This breakdown ensures that the top teams will compete in some of the most prestigious bowl games in college football, adding to the significance of each game.
CFP Rankings Projections, Predictions
After Championship Saturday, here's a look at where Big Ten teams were projected in the latest USA Today CFP projections:
Oregon (13-0)*, Georgia (11-2)*, Boise State (12-1)*, Arizona State (11-2)*, Notre Dame (11-1), Texas (11-2), Ohio State (10-2), Penn State (11-1), Tennessee (10-2), Indiana (11-1), SMU (11-2), Clemson (10-3)**
* Denotes first-round bye and automatic bid
** Denotes automatic entry
When Do College Football Playoff Rankings Come Out?
The final College Football Playoff rankings will be announced at noon ET on Sunday, Dec. 8. Fans across the country will be eagerly awaiting this moment to see which teams have earned a spot in the playoffs.
To watch the CFP rankings show live, you can tune in to ESPN on Sunday, Dec. 8 at noon ET. Streaming options include the ESPN app (by logging in with your TV provider credentials), ESPN+, and Fubo, which carries the ESPN family of networks.