Conference championship weekend is upon us, and with it, the final chance for teams to show why they deserve to be in the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff.
So when will we know who’s in and who’s out? All will be revealed on Sunday, December 8 at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Selection Day will see not only the 12-team playoff determined, but also the remaining college football bowl games announced.
Keep reading for the latest College Football Playoff rankings from Tuesday, December 3, as well as a brief history of the CFP and how the 12-team playoff works.
Latest College Football Playoff Rankings (Dec. 3)
- Oregon (12-0)
- Texas (11-1)
- Penn State (11-1)
- Notre Dame (11-1)
- Georgia (10-2)
- Ohio State (10-2)
- Tennessee (10-2)
- SMU (11-1)
- Indiana (11-1)
- Boise State (11-1)
- Alabama (9-3)
- Miami (10-2)
- Ole Miss (9-3)
- South Carolina (9-3)
- Arizona State (10-2)
- Iowa State (10-2)
- Clemson (9-3)
- BYU (10-2)
- Missouri (9-3)
- UNLV (10-2)
- Illinois (9-3)
- Syracuse (9-3)
- Colorado (9-3)
- Army (10-1)
- Memphis (10-2)
History of the College Football Playoff
The College Football Playoff (CFP) began in 2014, replacing the Bowl Championship Series (BCS).
The CFP was originally a 4-team playoff through 2023, with two semifinals and a championship game. After years of discussion and planning, the CFP was expanded to 12 teams, beginning this season. The original playoff agreement will expire after the 2025 season, meaning the CFP could expand again (potentially to a 14 or 16-team format) as early as 2026.
Since the inception of the CFP, there have been 10 national champions crowned:
- 2014: Ohio State
- 2015: Alabama
- 2016: Clemson
- 2017: Alabama
- 2018: Clemson
- 2019: LSU
- 2020: Alabama
- 2021: Georgia
- 2022: Georgia
- 2023: Michigan
How the 12-team playoff works
The 12-team playoff is a bit more involved than its four-team predecessor, so let’s take a look at how it will work.
Previously, the four-team playoff, which decided the national champion from 2014-2023, simply pitted the top four teams in the country against one another in two semifinal games that rotated between the New Year’s Six bowls. No. 1 faced No. 4 and No. 2 faced No. 3. The winner of each semifinal advanced to the national championship game.
With the expansion to 12 teams, which is guaranteed for at least the 2024 and 2025 seasons (additional expansion can happen as early as 2026), there’s more to making the playoff, and a team’s positioning in the playoff, than just being ranked in the top four.
Here’s how the 12 teams will be selected:
1. Guaranteed bids. The top five conference champions in the CFP rankings are guaranteed bids. Note: No conference is guaranteed an automatic bid, and a conference must have at least eight members for its champion to be eligible for a guaranteed bid.
2. At-large bids. After the top five conference champions, the seven highest-ranked remaining teams will be selected. Note: This could include additional conference champions.
Also new for the 12-team playoff? First-round byes and games on college campuses.
Yep, you read that right. The four highest-ranked conference champions will receive first-round byes. The remaining teams will play each other in the first round at the home field of the better seeds or an alternate venue if the higher-ranked team chooses.
First round matchups will see:
- No. 5 vs. No. 12
- No. 6 vs. No. 11
- No. 7 vs. No. 10
- No. 8 vs. No. 9.
The teams that had first round byes will then face the first-round winners as follows:
- No. 1 conf. champion vs. winner of No. 8/9
- No. 2 conf. champion vs. winner of No. 7/10
- No. 3 conf. champion vs. winner of No. 6/11
- No. 4 conf. champion vs. winner of No. 5/12
The New Year’s Six bowls will continue to host the semifinals and, now, the quarterfinals. The championship game will continue to be held at a separately determined neutral site, with the 2024 season champion to be decided in Atlanta, Georgia, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 20, 2025.
If the 12-team playoff was decided by Tuesday’s rankings, Oregon, Texas, SMU and Boise State would get first-round byes. In the first round, Arizona State would play at Penn State (winner would play at Boise State), Tennessee would play at Ohio State (winner would play at Oregon), Alabama would play at Notre Dame (winner would play at SMU), and Indiana would play at Georgia (winner would play at Texas). (Note: This is assuming higher-ranked teams choose to play at their home field.)
2025 College Football Playoff full schedule
All times Eastern
First round (Dec. 20-21)
- Friday, Dec. 20 @ 8 p.m. | ABC/ESPN
- Saturday, Dec. 21 @ 12 p.m. | TNT
- Saturday, Dec. 21 @ 4 p.m. | TNT
- Saturday, Dec. 21 @ 8 p.m. | ABC/ESPN
Quarterfinals (Dec. 31-Jan. 1)
- Fiesta Bowl: Tuesday, Dec. 31 @ 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
- Peach Bowl: Wednesday, Jan. 1 @ 1 p.m. | ESPN
- Rose Bowl: Wednesday, Jan. 1 @ 5 p.m. | ESPN
- Sugar Bowl: Wednesday, Jan. 1 @ 8:45 p.m. | ESPN
Semifinals (Jan. 9-10)
- Orange Bowl: Thursday, Jan. 9 @ 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
- Cotton Bowl: Friday, Jan. 10 @ 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
CFP National Championship
- Monday, Jan. 20 @ 7:30 p.m. | Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia | ESPN
