This is how the College Football Playoff works

The College Football Playoff era began with the 2014 season. In the first decade, four teams were selected for the Playoff field with two semifinal games and one national championship game. Starting with the 2024-25 season, here’s the new, expanded format to know:

• 12 teams will be selected for the Playoff field, with the five highest-ranked conference champions receiving automatic bids
• The four highest-ranked conference champions will be seeded 1-4, and each will receive a first-round bye
• Teams seeded 5-12 play each other in the first round at the home of the higher ranked team

The quarter-finals and semi-finals rotate between six bowls: Cotton, Fiesta, Orange, Peach, Rose and Sugar. Both semifinals will be played around the New Year’s holiday with the national title game on a Monday night at least a week later. See the 2024-25 CFP Plan below.

2024-25 College Football Playoff round-by-round schedule

All times eastern

• First round (December 20-21)
  • Friday 20 December: 20.00 | ABC/ESPN
  • Saturday 21 December: at 12 | TNT
  • Saturday 21 December: 16.00 | TNT
  • Saturday 21 December: at 20 | ABC/ESPN
• Quarterfinals (December 31-January 1)
  • Fiesta Bowl: 19.30 Tuesday 31 December | ESPN
  • Peach Bowl: 13.00 Wednesday 1 January | ESPN
  • Rose Bowl: 17.00 Wednesday 1 January | ESPN
  • Sugar Bowl: 20:45 Wednesday 1 January | ESPN
• Semi-finals (January 9-10)
  • Orange Bowl: 19.30 Thursday 9 January | ESPN
  • Cotton bowl: 19.30 Friday 10 January | ESPN
• CFP National Championship
  • 19.30 Monday 20 January | ESPN
  • Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia

A committee of college presidents approved a plan for a new 12-team College Football Playoff. In 2024, the College Football Playoff Board of Managers agreed to update the start of the 12-team CFP field beginning with the 2024–25 season to include a 5–7 format.

Here’s what you need to know about the postseason format put together by the commissioners of the Big 11 college football conferences and Notre Dame’s athletic director.

Who votes in the College Football Playoff rankings?

There are 13 members on the CFP Selection Committee. It is a collection of people with experience as coaches, players, college administrators, athletic directors and journalists. Here are the members.

How often are the placements announced?

The members of the selection committee meet weekly to prepare rankings. The committee rankings will be announced on ESPN.

What will the committee use to rank teams?

From the CFP website: “The selection committee ranks the teams based on the members’ evaluation of the teams’ performance on the field, using conference championships won, strength of schedule, head-to-head results and comparison of results with common opponents to determine among teams that are comparable.”

How does the voting process work?

According to the CFP website, it begins like this: “Each committee member will create a list of the 30 teams that he or she believes are the best in the country, in no particular order. Teams listed by three or more members will remain under At the end of the ​​any round other teams may be added to the pool of teams under consideration by vote of three or more members.” You can read about each step here.

Where and when are the games played?

According to the CFP, “College Football Playoff Semifinal games rotate between the Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl Game, Sugar Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl.”

Click here to view the past, present, and future CFP plans.