After a chaotic end to the regular season in college football, the matchups are set for the first 12-team version of the College Football Playoff. The first-round games are Dec. 20-21 on campuses before the games shift to bowl games for the quarterfinals and semifinals. The CFP began with four teams in January 2015. It was expanded this year for the first time. Many believe it may expand again, perhaps as early as 2026.
After a chaotic end to the regular season in college football, the matchups are set for the first 12-team version of the College Football Playoff. It took more than a century to get here and the CFP could expand again soon enough.
Did the CFP committee get it right? It’s time to find out: The first-round games are Friday and Saturday on campuses before the games shift to bowl games for the quarterfinals and semifinals.
How will teams from the South deal with colder weather this weekend? Are bettors enjoying more wagering options? Will the layoff for the top four seeds help or hinder? Have the coaches been able to focus amid the early signing period and players flocking to the transfer portal?
Here is what to know:
Who is playing and what time are the games?
There will be 11 games between Dec. 20 and the finale Jan. 20, all broadcast nationally. The first round (times CST):
No. 10 seed Indiana (11-1) at No. 7 seed Notre Dame (11-1), Dec. 20, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
BetMGM Odds: Notre Dame by 7.
What to know: The two campuses in the Hoosier State are separated by 200 miles, but this is the first meeting since 1991. Hoosiers have won 11 games for first time in program history. Irish have won 10 in a row since getting upset by Northern Illinois.
The winner: Advances to the Sugar Bowl to play No. 2 seed Georgia (Jan. 1, 7:45 p.m., ESPN).
No. 11 seed SMU (11-2) at No. 6 seed Penn State (11-2), Dec. 21, noon (TNT/Max)
BetMGM Odds: Penn St. by 8.5.
What to know: SMU got the last at-large bid after losing to Clemson in the ACC championship game on the final play. Penn State is in the playoff for the first time.
The winner: Advances to the Fiesta Bowl to play No. 3 seed Boise State (Dec. 31, 6:30 p.m., ESPN).
No. 12 seed Clemson (10-3) at No. 5 seed Texas (11-2), Dec. 21, 4 p.m. (TNT/Max)
BetMGM College Football Odds: Texas by 12.
What to know: This will be the teams’ first meeting. Clemson got into the ACC title game through the back door — they do not like that narrative — and beat SMU to earn an automatic bid.
The winner: Advances to the Peach Bowl to play No. 4 seed Arizona State (Jan. 1, Noon, ESPN).
No. 9 seed Tennessee (10-2) at No. 8 seed Ohio State (11-2), Dec. 21, 7 p.m. (ABC/ESPN)
BetMGM Odds: Ohio St. by 7.5.
What to know: This will be the teams’ second meeting and first since Peyton Manning led the Volunteers to a 20-14 win in the 1996 Citrus Bowl.
The winner: Advances to the Rose Bowl to play No. 1 seed Oregon (Jan. 1, 5 p.m., ESPN).
Who are the favorites?
As of this week, top-seeded and unbeaten Oregon and Texas are both listed as 7-2 favorites to win the national championship, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Georgia and Ohio State are next, at 5-1.
The rest of the odds: Penn State (25-4), Notre Dame (8-1), Tennessee (25-1), Indiana and SMU (40-1), Clemson and Arizona State (50-1) and Boise State (60-1).
How does the playoff work?
A 13-member CFP selection committee spent the past six weeks evaluating the teams and then set the bracket on Dec. 8.
The five highest-ranked conference champions were guaranteed spots in the field, no matter where they are ranked overall by the CFP; Clemson, for example, is ranked No. 16 in the CFP but was given the 12th and lowest seed as the fifth-highest ranked league champion. The top four seeds get a week off and an automatic trip to the quarterfinals.
The CFP began with four teams in January 2015. It was expanded this year for the first time. Many believe it may expand again, perhaps as early as 2026.
How much money is at stake?
A lot: About $115 million is on the line in the playoff.
Each conference gets $4 million for every team that makes the final 12, then another $4 million for those that make the quarterfinals. It means teams that earned byes are worth $8 million to their conferences without even playing a game.
Teams that advance to the semifinals mean $6 million more for their conference, then another $6 million for making the final.
The conferences all distribute the money differently. There’s also a $300,000 stipend per team that is academically eligible for the playoffs. Teams making the playoff get $3 million to cover expenses for each round, too.
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