College Football Playoffs

(Photo by Tony Walsh/UGAAA) The Georgia Bulldogs celebrate their 2024 SEC championship.

The field for the inaugural 12-team college football playoff was revealed yesterday, with Big Ten champion Oregon capturing the top seed. The Ducks are followed by No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Boise State, and No. 4 Arizona State, with each of the top four receiving a first-round bye. 

Under the new system, the opening round will have the higher-seeded teams host games on campus: No. 5 Texas will host No. 12 Clemson; No. 6 Penn State will welcome No. 11 SMU; No. 7 Notre Dame faces No. 10 Indiana; and No. 8 Ohio State will take on No. 9 Tennessee. The biggest debate of selection day was SMU, which lost the ACC championship on a last-second field goal, nudging out Alabama. 

A significant amount of money is at stake. Roughly $115M will be distributed across the conferences based on which teams advance (see details). 

The first round will be held Friday, Dec. 20, and Saturday, Dec. 21. See the full schedule of bowl games here; see a playoff bracket here.