Here's what the 12-team College Football Playoff will look like originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The College Football Playoff is about to get much bigger.
The CFP has featured a four-team field since it first debuted in the 2014 season. But the playoff is soon going to triple in size, as 12 teams will battle it out for the national championship.
So, with more games across more rounds, what is the schedule for the expanded CFP going to look like? And how exactly will the new format work?
With the schedule set for the first two 12-team CFPs, here's what to know:
What year will the NCAA football playoff expand?
The playoff will expand to 12 teams beginning with the 2024 season. So the upcoming 2023 campaign will still feature a four-team CFP field.
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How will the 12-team College Football Playoff work?
Under the new format, the six highest-ranked conference champions will receive automatic bids. The field will then be filled out with the six highest-ranked teams remaining.
The four highest-ranked conference champions receive a first-round bye to the quarterfinals. In the first round, the matchups are No. 5 vs. No. 12, No. 6 vs. No. 11, No. 7 vs. No. 10, and No. 8 vs. No. 9. The first-round games are not played at neutral sites, with the lower seed having home-field advantage instead.
Bowl games are introduced in the quarterfinal round, which will not be reseeded. That means the No. 1 seed will meet the winner of the No. 8-No. 9 matchup even if there's a lower seed remaining in the field.
What bowl games will be part of the expanded College Football Playoff?
The 2024 CFP features the Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl in the quarterfinals, followed by the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl in the semifinals.
In 2025, the Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl make up the quarterfinals, with the Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl hosting the semis.
What is the schedule for the expanded College Football Playoff?
Here's a full look at the schedule and dates for the first two 12-team CFPs in the 2024 and 2025 seasons:
2024 College Football Playoff
First round
- Friday, Dec. 20: One game
- Saturday, Dec. 21: Three games
Quarterfinals
- Tuesday, Dec. 31: Fiesta Bowl
- Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025: Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl
Semifinals
- Thursday, Jan. 9: Orange Bowl
- Friday, Jan. 10: Cotton Bowl
National championship
- Monday, Jan. 20
2025 College Football Playoff
First round
- Friday, Dec. 19: One game
- Saturday, Dec. 20: Three games
Quarterfinals
- Wednesday, Dec. 31: Cotton Bowl
- Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026: Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl
Semifinals
- Thursday, Jan. 8: Fiesta Bowl
- Friday, Jan. 9: Peach Bowl
National championship
- Monday, January 19
