2024 College Football Playoff format: Taking a closer look at the rankings of the new NCAAF playoffs for the upcoming season

It’s the dawn of a new era for the College Football Playoff in the 2024 season. The postseason tournament will be expanded to 12 teams in the upcoming season, contrary to the four teams that have participated in it since its inception. This obviously necessitates a new format.

There's been a lot of questions among fans on what the new format would look like and how the New Year's six bowl games will be integrated. Following the Florida State exclusion controversy of last season, fans are also eager to know the new method of participant selection.

Let's take a detailed look at the new format of the College Football Playoff, how it differs from the previous one and how it addresses some lingering issues in the landscape.

How does the new College Football Playoff format work?

The participating 12 teams in the expanded College Football Playoff will consist of the champions of the top six conferences and the six highest-rated at-large teams. The teams will be ordered based on their positions in the final ranking by the selection committee.

The top four teams in the final CFP rankings will receive a bye in the first round of the playoffs. Seeds 5-8 will host first-round home playoff games against seeds 9-12. Following these matchups, the remaining eight teams will compete in the current New Year's Day 6 bowls.

The new format offers the No. 1-ranked team will have the opportunity to select the location for its quarterfinal matchup. Subsequently, the No. 2 team will make its choice, followed by the No. 3 team. The No. 4 team will then be automatically assigned to the remaining bowl game.

A similar method is adopted in the semifinal. The team with the highest ranking among the semifinalists will also have the privilege of selecting its preferred bowl game. The College Football Playoff championship game will continue to be held at a neutral site.

The integration of the New Year’s Six bowl game

The New Year’s Six bowl game will continue to be an important part of the College Football Playoff despite the expansion and introduction of a new format.

The Fiesta, Orange, Peach and Cotton bowls will alternate between hosting the quarterfinal and semifinal. The Fiesta and Peach Bowls will host the quarterfinals in 2024, while the Orange and Cotton Bowls will host the semifinals. This arrangement will then be reversed in 2025.

On the flip side, the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl will take place during the quarterfinal round of the playoffs in both 2024 and 2025. These two bowl games will maintain their traditional New Year's Day date. It’s worth noting that the CFP will further be expanded to 14 teams in 2026.