HOUSTON — We know now the teams in the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff! More details coming, but below are the seedings and matchups for the first round.
The big news — SMU is in and Alabama is out.
Updates
- Oregon gets No. 1 seed and will get bye
- Georgia gets No. 2 seed and will get bye
- Boise State gets No. 3 seed and will get bye
- Arizona State gets No. 4 seed and will get a bye
- Texas gets No. 5 seed and will host Clemson in the first round
- Penn State gets No. 6 seed
- Notre Dame gets No. 7 seed
- Ohio State gets No. 8 seed
- Tennessee gets the No. 9 seed and will play at Ohio State
- Indiana gets the No. 10 seed and will play at Notre Dame
- SMU gets the No. 11 seed and will play at Penn State
- Clemson gets No. 12 seed, the lowest seed in the tournament
Below is a little about how the CFP will work now that it’s been expanded to a 12-team field.
How the College Football Playoffs will work
The five highest-ranked conference champions are automatically in the College Football Playoff. The seven highest-ranked teams remaining will fill out the bracket of 12.
The top four teams will get a bye in the first round of the playoff. Of the remaining teams, the higher-ranked teams in each matchup will host the first-round games. Here is how those first-round matchups line up.
Games played Dec. 20 and Dec. 21
- Clemson at Texas
- SMU at Penn State
- Indiana at Notre Dame
- Tennessee vs. Ohio State
Once those games are over, there will be eight teams remaining. The next round – the quarterfinals – will be played in bowls with a rotating schedule.
Quarterfinals played Dec. 31 and Jan. 1
- Winner of Clemson-Texas vs Arizona State in Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31
- Winner of Tennessee-Ohio State vs. Oregon in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1
- Winner of SMU-Penn State vs. Boise State in the Peach Bowl on Jan. 1
- Winner of Indiana-Notre Dame vs. Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1
Then the semifinal round, which will include the four teams remaining, will be played at the Capital One Orange Bowl (Jan. 1) and the Goodyear Cotton Bowl (Jan. 10).
The national title game will be in Atlanta on Jan. 20.
THE BRACKET IS SET ✍️ Who are you taking to win the #CFBPlayoff? pic.twitter.com/9BDWwesEVL
— ESPN (@espn) December 8, 2024
Here’s more about the College Football Playoffs from a story we posted earlier in the season.