The first official rankings of the College Football Playoff for the 2023 season were revealed on Tuesday night. The four-team playoff format determined that if the season were to end as of that date, the spots would go to the Ohio State Buckeyes, Georgia Bulldogs, Michigan Wolverines, and Florida State Seminoles, respectively. With over a month left of the season, teams will have to win out, and in some cases, teams ranked ahead of them lose to earn one of the four spots to compete for the CFP National Championship.
But shortly, the CFP field will triple in size, with 12 schools competing to win the coveted National Championship. So, when does it begin?
Fans have to wait one more year for the 12-team College Football Playoff
This will be the final year in which the College Football Playoff field will be just four teams. Starting in the 2024 season, the Playoff will expand to 12 teams.
So, who qualifies for the 12-team Playoff? The six conference champions ranked highest by the CFP Selection Committee will earn spots in the playoffs. The remaining six spots will go to the other highest-ranked teams who didn't win their respective conference championship.
As for the seeding of the playoffs, the four conference champions will earn first-round byes. That leaves the following matchups in the first round, which will take place on the home field of the higher-ranked team.
- No. 12 at No. 5
- No. 11 at No. 6
- No. 10 at No. 7
- No. 9 at No. 8
These matchups will take place on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024 (one game) and Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024 (three games), per the College Football Playoff official website.
The Quarterfinals will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024 with the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl (evening) and on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025 with the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (early afternoon), Rose Bowl (late afternoon), and Allstate Sugar Bowl.
Here are what the quarterfinals matchups will look like:
- No. 1 vs. Winner of No. 8/No. 9 Game
- No. 2 vs. Winner of No. 7/No. 10 Game
- No. 3 vs. Winner of No. 6/No. 11 Game
- No. 4 vs. Winner of No. 5/No. 12 Game
The four teams remaining will face off in the semifinals with the Capital One Orange Bowl on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, and the Goodyear Cotton Bowl on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025.
This will all culminate with the National Championship Game on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.
As for the 2025 season, the 12-team playoff begins on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, and culminates with the CFP National Championship Game will be held on Jan. 19, 2026, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Fla.