We're 10 months away from the start of the 12-team College Football Playoff, and the format is finally set.
The university presidents who make up the CFP governing board unanimously approved a final tweak to increase the number of large bids from six to seven. The change to only allow conference champions five spots instead of six as originally planned was prompted by conference realignment.
The Pac-12 will continue to operate next season, but only two schools, Oregon State and Washington State, will participate, and most of the games will be against Mountain West schools.
With the Power Five down to four players and the future of the Pac-12 uncertain, CFP management committee members agreed to change the model from 6-6 to 5-7. The president's approval was delayed by about a month due to concerns from Pac-12 representatives, but the format is now set.
“This is a very logical adjustment for the College Football Playoff based on the evolution of our conference structure since the Board of Governors first adopted this new format in September 2022,” said Mississippi State President. said Mark Keenum, CFP Board Chair. Tuesday.
Given the strong start since expansion work began in 2019 and the 12-team plan was first publicly introduced in 2021, another speed bump seemed appropriate.
There are still important behind-the-scenes issues around governance and revenue distribution that CFP managers need to address for 2026 and beyond. But the who, where, when and how of the first two seasons of the 12-team playoffs appears to be set in stone.
It's all about the rankings by the 13-member selection committee.
The five highest ranked conference champions will compete, followed by the seven highest ranked AT-LARGE qualifiers. There is no automatic bidding.
The top four conference champions advance to the quarterfinals with a first-round bye. The four games in the first round will be played against teams seeded 5th to 12th.
The first round will be held on campus and will be hosted by the top teams (12th place team, 5th place team). Number 6 and number 11. Number 7 and number 10. These games this year are scheduled to be held on December 20th and December 21st.
Using the CFP rankings at the end of last season, the 12-team playoffs look like this: No. 12 seed Oklahoma State vs. No. 5 Florida State. No. 6 Georgia and No. 11 Ole Miss. No. 10 Penn State vs. No. 7 Ohio State. No. 9 Missouri vs. No. 8 Oregon. The top four seeds, Michigan, Washington, Texas and Alabama, will receive byes.
The quarterfinals and semifinals will be played at traditional bowl venues using the six bowls of the current CFP semifinal rotation. The top four teams will be assigned the most advantageous spots, with the top seeds receiving the highest priority.
Teams will not be reseeded after the opening game. The top seed will face the winner of 8-9. The second seed will play the winner 7-10. No. 3 playing as a 6th or 11th seed. and No. 4, who will play against the 5-12 winner.
Next season's Fiesta Bowl quarterfinals will be held on December 31st, with the Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl scheduled for January 1st. The Orange Bowl semifinals are scheduled for January 9th and the Cotton Bowl semifinals are scheduled for January 10th.
The first 12-team championship game is scheduled for January 20th at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
