2024-25 College Football Playoff Bracket

CFP Bracket updated following Week 2.

The 2024-25 season marks the first year of the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff format. The field will consist of the five highest-ranked conference champions and the next seven highest-ranked teams, as determined by the CFP selection committee.

The four highest-ranked conference champions will be seeded 1-4 and receive a first-round bye. The other eight teams will be seeded 5-12, with the higher seeds hosting the lower seeds in the first round.

First-round games will be played on campus on Dec. 20-21. Quarterfinals will take place at the Fiesta, Peach, Rose and Sugar Bowls on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, followed by the semifinals at the Orange and Cotton Bowls on Jan. 9-10. The national championship is set for Jan. 20, 2025, in Atlanta.

The final CFP Rankings will be released on Dec. 8 following conference championship weekend. However, the bracket at the top of this page will be updated after each week of the 2024 college football season with the current top 12 teams in the country (based on AP Poll).

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How the 12-Team College Football Playoff Works

The 12 teams will be the five conference champions ranked highest by the CFP selection committee, plus the seven highest-ranked remaining teams. The ranking of teams will continue to be done by the 13-member CFP selection committee.

The four highest-ranked conference champions will be seeded 1-4 and receive a first-round bye. The other eight teams will be seeded 5-12 based on their ranking, with the higher seeds hosting the lower seeds in the first round:

• No. 12 at No. 5
• No. 11 at No. 6
• No. 10 at No. 7
• No. 9 at No. 8

The quarterfinals and semifinals will be played in bowl games on a rotating basis. The quarterfinals will take place at four of the New Year’s Six bowls – the Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl. The Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl will host the semifinals.

The national championship game will remain at a neutral site, similar to the Super Bowl. Cities will bid to host the title game.

Where Are the College Football Playoffs This Year?

The first-round games will take place on the campus of the higher-seeded team on Dec. 20-21, 2024. The quarterfinals will rotate among the Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl on Dec. 31, 2024 and Jan. 1, 2025.

The semifinals are at the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl on Jan. 9-10, 2025. The national championship game will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. This marks the first time the title game has returned to a previous host city.

When Are the College Football Playoffs?

The first-round games will kick off on Friday, Dec. 20 and Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. The quarterfinals are on Dec. 31, 2024 and Jan. 1, 2025.

Both national semifinal games (the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl) will be played on Jan. 9-10, 2025. The 2024-25 College Football Playoff will conclude with the National Championship Game at 7:30 pm ET on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025 in Atlanta.

When Did the College Football Playoff Start?

The four-team College Football Playoff came into existence during the 2014-15 NCAA football season. The 2024-25 season will mark the first year of the expanded 12-team format.

Prior to the College Football Playoff, the BCS National Championship was in effect from 1998 to 2014. There was no official national championship game before 1998.

How Do Teams Qualify for the College Football Playoff?

Under the new 12-team format, the field will consist of the five highest-ranked conference champions and the next seven highest-ranked teams as determined by the CFP selection committee.

There are no limits on the number of teams per conference that can make the playoff field. The ranking of teams will continue to be done by the CFP selection committee, which will remain largely unchanged in its composition and protocols.

Which Bowl Game Is the National Championship?

Unlike in the early BCS era (1999-2006) when an existing bowl game functioned as the title game, each season’s title game has simply known as the National Championship Game since the 2006-07 NCAAF season.

Existing bowl games are still tabbed for the national semifinals, with the Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl getting the nod this season.

When Is the College Football Playoff Expanding?

The College Football Playoff has officially expanded to 12 teams beginning with the 2024-25 season.

The CFP Board of Managers originally voted in September 2022 to expand the playoff to 12 teams starting in 2026, but later announced in December 2022 that the expanded format would begin two years earlier in 2024.

Who Is on the College Football Playoff Selection Committee?

The composition of the group changes frequently, but for the 2024-25 season, the 13-member committee is comprised of the following people.

*Denotes committee chair.

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