NCAA
The 2024 College Football Playoff Setup, Bracket, and Schedule
Colin Lynch covers the NFL, MLB and WNBA for Heavy.com, with a focus on the New England Patriots. His sports coverage has been featured on Finixio's The Sports Daily and Basketball Insiders, as well as FanSided's Chowder & Champions. A New Hampshire native and former D1 baseball player at St. John's University, Colin was drafted by the San Diego Padres in 2008 and enjoyed a four-year professional baseball career.
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After years of anticipation, the 12-team College Football Playoff is finally set to launch. The tournament kicks off on December 20 and will culminate with the national championship game on January 20.
The 2024 12-Team College Football Playoff is Here
College football fans, rejoice!
The days of no college football playoffs or limited playoffs are over.
This expanded playoff format ushers in a new era for college football, where the road to the national championship becomes more thrilling than ever. With the field extending from four to 12 teams, fans can look forward to more games, extra rounds, and increased excitement as the season unfolds.
The new structure will include the five highest-ranked conference champions, automatically earning playoff berths. The seven remaining spots will be filled by the highest-ranked teams not already included, completing the 12-team field.
Significantly, no limit exists on how many teams from a single conference can qualify for the playoff. This allows multiple teams from power conferences like the SEC and Big Ten to regularly appear in the same bracket, potentially even more than three from one conference.
The four highest-ranked conference champions will claim the top seeds (Nos. 1 through 4) and receive a first-round bye. Meanwhile, the teams seeded 5 through 12 will face off in the first round, with the higher-seeded teams hosting the games. The matchups for the first round will be:
- No. 5 vs. No. 12
- No. 6 vs. No. 11
- No. 7 vs. No. 10
- No. 8 vs. No. 9
2024 12-Team College Football Playoff Schedule
First round (hosted by higher seed)
Friday, December 20, 2024: One game
Saturday, December 21, 2024: Three games
Quarterfinals
Tuesday, December 31, 2024: Vrbo Fiesta Bowl
Wednesday, January 1, 2025: Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl Game, and Allstate Sugar Bowl
Semifinals
Thursday, January 9, 2025: Capital One Orange Bowl
Friday, January 10, 2025: Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
CFP National Championship game
Monday, January 20, 2025: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
What Would a 12-Team Bracket Have Looked Like in 2023?
Below are the top 25 rankings following conference championship weekend, which would have been the rankings the 12-team bracket was built using. Michigan, Washington, Texas, and Alabama would have earned the top four seeds and the first-round byes.
It’s important to note that Liberty would have been awarded the No. 12 seed in the new 12-team College Football Playoff. As the sixth highest-ranked conference champion in the final CFP rankings, Liberty secures this spot, replacing Oklahoma, which finished third in the Big 12, as the No. 12 team in the playoff field.
| RANK | SCHOOL | RECORD | PREVIOUS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan | 13-0 | 2 |
| 2 | Washington | 13-0 | 3 |
| 3 | Texas | 12-1 | 7 |
| 4 | Alabama | 12-1 | 8 |
| 5 | Florida State | 13-0 | 4 |
| 6 | Georgia | 12-1 | 1 |
| 7 | Ohio State | 11-1 | 6 |
| 8 | Oregon | 11-2 | 5 |
| 9 | Missouri | 10-2 | 9 |
| 10 | Penn State | 10-2 | 10 |
| 11 | Ole Miss | 10-2 | 11 |
| 12 | Oklahoma | 10-2 | 12 |
| 13 | LSU | 9-3 | 13 |
| 14 | Arizona | 9-3 | 15 |
| 15 | Louisville | 10-3 | 14 |
| 16 | Notre Dame | 9-3 | 17 |
| 17 | Iowa | 10-3 | 16 |
| 18 | NC State | 9-3 | 19 |
| 19 | Oregon State | 8-4 | 20 |
| 20 | Oklahoma State | 9-4 | 18 |
| 21 | Tennessee | 8-4 | 21 |
| 22 | Clemson | 8-4 | 23 |
| 23 | Liberty | 13-0 | 24 |
| 24 | SMU | 11-2 | NR |
| 25 | Kansas State | 8-4 | 25 |
Here is what the 2023 first-round matchups would have been:
No. 12 Liberty at No. 5 Florida State (winner vs No. 4 Alabama)
No. 11 Ole Miss at No. 6 Georgia (winner vs. No. 3 Texas)
No. 10 Penn State at No. 7 Ohio State (winner vs. No. 2 Washington)
No. 9 Missouri at No. 8 Oregon (winner vs No. 1 Michigan)
