The First 12-Team College Football Playoff
The first 12-team College Football Playoff is around the corner after nine years of the four-team, single-elimination format.
While the official bracket has yet to be released, there are a few projected matchups for Round 1 following the release of the CFP committee’s fifth set of rankings Tuesday. Some games are more popular than others, according to their get-in prices; the get-in price for the Fighting Irish is more than double that of the Penn State-Arizona State matchup.
- No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers at No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes: $231
- No. 12 Arizona State Sun Devils at No. 5 Penn State Nittany Lions: $174
- No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide at No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish: $417
- No. 10 Indiana Hoosiers at No. 7 Georgia Bulldogs: $346
One first-round game will be played Friday, Dec. 20, with the other three played on Saturday, Dec. 21.
The top four conference champions receive first-round byes. The current projected teams are the No.1 seed Oregon Ducks, No. 2 Texas Longhorns, No. 3 SMU Mustangs, and No. 4 Boise State Broncos.
The quarterfinal matchups will take place Tuesday, Dec. 31 and Wednesday, Jan. 1 – the Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl. The semifinals will then be played on Thursday, Jan. 9 with the national championship on Monday, Jan. 20.
At-home viewers can catch Game 1 and 4 of the first round on ABC and ESPN and Game 2 and 3 on TNT.
