The NCAA and ESPN agree to a deal expanding the College Football Playoffs (CFP) to 24 teams starting next season.
Four years ago, the CFP committee approved a deal expanding the playoffs from four teams to 12. Teams like the 2021 Florida State Seminoles wouldn’t miss the playoffs. All New Year’s Six games became playoff games, with lower-ranked teams playing on set campuses. The top four teams earn byes and advance to the Rose, Cotton, Sugar, or Orange Bowls. Semifinal played at the Peach or Fiesta Bowls.
After this year, there will be 16 total playoff games taking place on college campuses. The New Year’s Six games are still taking place as the quarterfinal and semifinal games.
To figure out how it will look, refer to the chart below based on the Associated Press Top 25 (after Week 7):
First Round (on campus)
24th Northwestern vs. 9th UCLA
23rd SMU vs. 10th Utah
22nd Missouri vs. 11th Tennessee
21st Boise State vs. 12th Kentucky
20th Florida vs. 13th Alabama
19th Texas vs. 14th Houston
18th LSU vs. 15th Iowa
17th Wake Forest vs. 16th USC
Second Round (on campus)
24/9 vs. 8th Texas Tech
23/10 seed vs. 7th Ole Miss
22/11 seed vs. 6th Indiana
21/12 seed vs. 5th Georgia (projected SEC champ)
20/13 seed vs. 4th Notre Dame
19/14 seed vs. 3rd Ohio State (projected Big Ten champ)
18/15 seed vs. 2nd BYU (projected Big 12 champ)
17/16 seed vs. 1st Miami, FL (projected ACC champ)
Quarterfinals (Rose, Cotton, Sugar, or Orange Bowl)
24/9/8 seed vs. 1 seed
23/10/7 seed vs. 2 seed
22/11/6 seed vs. 3 seed
21/12/5 seed vs. 4 seed
What’s Happening to the Army-Navy Game?
It’s easy to schedule more playoff games, but what about the Army-Navy game? This classic rivalry occurs a week after conference championships are played, with this game scheduled for December 12 at 3 p.m. ET.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order last March to make this matchup the ONLY game in primetime. This year, the game will take place following the Cricket Celebration Bowl, which takes place at 1 p.m. ET.
Any changes to the playoff picture will require an immediate decision about when those two play.
