The college football playoffs will expand to 12 teams beginning with the 2024 season, CFP officials announced Thursday. Here’s what you should know:
- First round of the 2024 playoffs. All but the top four seeds (12th to 5th, 11th to 6th, 10th to 7th, 9th to 8th) will compete. ) will be played during the week ending Saturday, December 21, at the higher-seeded team’s home his field, or another location designated by the higher-seeded team.
- The four quarter-finals and two semi-finals are played in rotating bowls. The national championship games for the affected season will take place on January 20, 2025 in Atlanta and January 19, 2026 in Miami.
- In September, the presidents and prime ministers who make up the CFP board approved a 12-team model that was first proposed in June 2021 but has been postponed due to disagreements among the commissioners. The board has since asked these commissioners to resume discussions on the possibility that he may implement a 12-team model before his first CFP contract expires in 2026.
Background
The final hurdle to expanding CFP before the original deal ends was cleared Wednesday, a source with knowledge of contract negotiations confirmed. athletic That the Rose Bowl agreed to amend the contract. The Rose Bowl sought assurances from CFP executives that the games would continue in a dedicated broadcast window at 5:00 pm ET on New Year’s Day. Even in a year when the Rose Bowl wasn’t his CFP quarterfinal game, he needed that precious window of time. This throws a wrench into the calendar and how the new postseason works. That guarantee also comes with special treatment that other bowls don’t get.
All hopes of an early expansion would have been lost if the Rose Bowl refused to terminate their current contract, which runs through the 2025-26 season.
What will the new format look like
The 6 highest ranked FBS Champions will be guaranteed access to the playoffs, with the remaining 6 spots going to the best overall team. The top four seeds will be awarded first round byes, and the fifth through eighth seeds will play on-campus games in the first round. The remaining rounds will be played at the bowl site.
The playoffs have announced the bowl sites for the 2024 and ’24 quarterfinal and semifinal matches, along with an early expansion announcement. Semifinals will be held in the Cotton Bowl and the Orange Bowl. The 2025 quarterfinals will be held in the Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl, while the Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl will host the semifinals.
The calendar for new CFP contracts starting in 2026 is subject to change. With the entire season moving up to what is now called Week 0, it will take some of the stress out of his scheduling backend in the postseason. Issues related to 2026 and beyond will be resolved in the future. — Auerbach
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