This season, there are 12 teams in the College Football Playoff for the first time. College football previously introduced the CFP in 2014 with a four-team format. The expansion to 12 teams is set in place for the 2024 and 2025 college football seasons. Leaders within the sport have not agreed to the framework of the playoff beyond that at this point.
The 12 participating teams in the College Football Playoff bracket will be the five conference champions ranked highest by the CFP selection committee, and the next seven highest-ranked teams.
The four highest-ranked conference champions will be seeded one through four and receive a first-round bye. The fifth conference champion will be seeded where it was ranked among the top 12 teams, or at No. 12 if it is outside the top 12 in the CFP rankings. Non-conference champions ranked in the top four will be seeded beginning at No. 5.
“Because of this,” the CFP warns on its website, “the seeding, 1 through 12, could look different than the final rankings.”
For the first round, the higher-ranked team in each pairing (5 vs. 12, 6 vs. 11, 7 vs. 10, 8 vs. 9) will serve as host on campus. The winners advance to the quarterfinals and match up with the corresponding top-four conference champion based on seeding. Quarterfinal games will played at the Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The semifinals – played at the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl Classic – will take place Jan. 9-10.
The two semifinal winners will play for the national championship Jan. 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. – Mark Giannotto
College Football Playoff predictions
Erick Smith, USA TODAY
Oregon (Big Ten champion)*
Georgia (SEC champion)*
Miami (ACC champion)*
Arizona State (Big 12 champion)*
Ohio State
Texas
Penn State
Notre Dame
Indiana
Tennessee
SMU
Boise State (Group of Five champion)**
*Receives first-round bye, automatic bid ; **Receives automatic bid
Bracket – first round games
No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 12 Boise State
No. 6 Texas vs. No. 11 SMU
No. 7 Penn State vs. No. 10 Tennessee
No. 8 Notre Dame vs. No. 9 Indiana
The Athletic
Oregon (Big Ten champion)*
Georgia (SEC champion)*
Miami (ACC champion)*
Boise State (Group of Five champion)*
Ohio State
Penn State
Texas
Notre Dame
Indiana
Tennessee
SMU
Iowa State (Big 12 champion)**
*Receives first-round bye, automatic bid ; **Receives automatic bid
Bracket – first round games
No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 12 Iowa State
No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 11 SMU
No. 7 Texas vs. No. 10 Tennessee
No. 8 Notre Dame vs. No. 9 Indiana
*Receives first-round bye, automatic bid ; **Receives automatic bid
CFP rankings projections
Blake Toppmeyer, USA TODAY
Oregon
Ohio State
Texas
Penn State
Notre Dame
Miami
Georgia
Tennessee
SMU
Indiana
Boise State
Arizona State
Heather Dinish, ESPN
Oregon
Ohio State
Texas
Penn State
Notre Dame
Miami
Georgia
Tennessee
SMU
Boise State
Indiana
Alabama
Mississippi
South Carolina
Texas A&M
Clemson
Arizona State
BYU
Tulane
Colorado
Iowa State
UNLV
Missouri
Illinois
Army
College Football Playoff championship odds
As of Nov. 26, here are the latest College Football Playoff title odds from BetMGM:
Ohio State (+275)
Georgia (+350)
Oregon (+400)
Texas (+450)
Notre Dame (+1400)
Penn State (+1800)
Tennessee (+2000)
Miami (+2500)
Alabama (+4000)
SMU (+4000)
Clemson (+5000)
Indiana (+5000)
Arizona State (+8000)
Boise State (+12,500)
South Carolina (+15,000)
Texas A&M (+20,000)
Colorado (+20,000)
Tulane (+20,000)
Iowa State (+25,000)
BYU (+25,000)
UNLV (+100,000)
When do College Football Playoff rankings come out?
The fourth College Football Playoff rankings of the 2024 season will be released Tuesday, Nov. 26. A new top 25 ranking is released by the CFP selection committee every Tuesday through Dec. 3. This is followed by a CFP selection show on Dec. 8 to announce the 12-team playoff field.
Here is the schedule for the College Football Playoff rankings show. All times are Eastern:
Ranking 4: Tuesday, Nov. 26, 8 p.m. – 9 p.m.Ranking 5: Tuesday, Dec. 3, 7 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.Selection Day: Sunday, Dec. 8, noon – 4 p.m.
What were last week’s rankings, and how did each team fare?
No. 1 Oregon (11-0) – BYE
No. 2 Ohio State (9-1) – W v. Indiana, 38-15
No. 3 Texas (9-1) – W v. Kentucky, 31-14
No. 4 Penn State (9-1) – W @ Minnesota, 26-25
No. 5 Indiana (10-0) – L @ Ohio State, 38-15
No. 6 Notre Dame (9-1) – W v. Army, 49-14
No. 7 Alabama (8-2) – L @ Oklahoma, 24-3
No. 8 Miami (9-1) – W v. Wake Forest, 42-14
No. 9 Ole Miss (8-2) – L @ Florida, 24-17
No. 10 Georgia (8-2) – W v. UMass, 59-21
No. 11 Tennessee (9-2) – W v. UTEP, 56-0
No. 12 Boise State (9-1) – W @ Wyoming, 17-13
No. 13 SMU (9-1) – W @ Virginia, 33-7
No. 14 BYU (9-1) – L @ Arizona State, 28-23
No. 15 Texas A&M (8-2) – L @ Auburn, 43-41
No. 16 Colorado (8-2) – L @ Kansas, 37-21
No. 17 Clemson (8-2) – W v. Citadel, 51-14
No. 18. South Carolina (7-3) – W v. Wofford, 56-12
No. 19 Army (9-0) – L @ Notre Dame, 49-14
No. 20 Tulane (9-2) – BYE
No. 21 Arizona State (8-2) – W v. BYU, 28-23
No. 22 Iowa State (8-2) – W @ Utah, 31-28
No. 23 Missouri (7-3) – W @ Mississippi State, 39-20
No. 24 UNLV (8-2) – W @ San Jose State, 27-16
No. 25 Illinois (7-3) – W @ Rutgers, 38-31
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
