COLUMBUS, OH – A historic change in college football is on the horizon as the 2024-25 season marks the first year of a 12-team playoff format. The selection committee is tasked with ranking the top 25 teams throughout the season and crafting the playoff bracket based on these rankings.

In this new format, the four highest-ranked conference champions will receive byes into the quarterfinals, while the fifth-highest-ranked conference champion will secure a spot in the playoffs without a bye. The latest top 25 rankings by the committee, revealed on November 19, provide a glimpse into how the playoff bracket would look like with the current rankings.

Using the committee’s top 25 rankings, the seeding in the playoff bracket may not directly align with the rankings themselves. The top four seeds in the playoff will be awarded to the four highest-ranked conference champions, regardless of their position in the top 25 rankings.

Teams such as Oregon, Texas, and Miami (Fla.) are among those who have secured their spots in the playoff bracket as top-ranked conference champions. Other teams like Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Alabama have earned at-large picks and seedings in the bracket, presenting a mix of conference champions and top-performing teams.

The upcoming release of the next CFP top 25 rankings on November 26 will provide further clarity on the playoff picture. Teams on the cusp, like Tennessee and SMU, are vying for a spot in the bracket as they sit just outside the current playoff rankings.

As the playoff bracket begins to take shape, matchups between the remaining eight teams will unfold at various campus sites on December 20 or December 21. Exciting games such as BYU at Ohio State and Georgia at Penn State are set to determine which teams will advance to face the top-seeded quarterfinalists.

The quarterfinals, scheduled for December 31 and January 1, will see the top four seeded teams facing off in games played at prestigious bowl locations. The journey towards the national championship will culminate as the semifinal winners meet at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on January 20 for a shot at college football glory.