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The College Football Playoff is introducing its 12-team format for the 2024-25 season. After planning the expansion for 2026, the College Football Playoff Board of Managers approved the earlier implementation.
The expanded format will feature five of the highest-ranked conference champions and seven additional teams based on the CFP selection committee's rankings.
What is the playoff format for college football in 2024?
The College Football Playoff has a 13-member selection committee to make its Top 25 rankings every Tuesday during the regular season. The most important release will come on December 8, after the conference championship games, to select the playoff teams.
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The five top-ranked conference winners secure automatic bids, and seven additional teams are selected as at-large entries based on the committee's rankings.
How the Ranking-to-Seeding Process Works
The process starts with the evaluation of team performances by the CFP Selection Committee throughout the season to create the overall rankings. This system assigns seeds to teams based on their position in the rankings. Seeding is directly aligned with rankings, with the committee's highest-ranked team earning the No. 1 seed.
When do the third College Football Playoff rankings come out?
The third CFP rankings will be released on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. ET. Subsequent updates are scheduled for Nov. 26 and Dec. 3.
The Selection Day rankings are expected to come out on Dec. 8.
Key Dates and Timeline
The 2024-25 CFP will begin with first-round games on December 20-21, followed by quarterfinals, semifinals, and the championship game.
Here’s the full schedule, with the current projected teams and seeds:
First Round: Dec. 20-21, airing on ABC/ESPN and TNT Sports.
No. 12 Boise State vs. No. 5 Ohio State
No. 11 Alabama vs. No. 6 Texas
No. 10 Notre Dame vs. No. 7 Penn State
No. 9 Indiana at No. 8 Tennessee
Quarterfinals: Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, including the Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl, and Sugar Bowl, airing on ESPN
No. 4 BYU vs. (No. 12 Boise State vs. No. 5 Ohio State)
No. 3 Miami vs. (No. 11 Alabama vs. No. 6 Texas)
No. 2 Georgia vs. (No. 10 Notre Dame vs. No. 7 Penn State)
No. 1 Oregon vs. (No. 9 Indiana vs. No. 8 Tennessee)
Semifinals: Jan. 9-10, with the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl, airing on ESPN
National Championship: January 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, airing on ESPN
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