A historic College Football Playoff season is upon us.
This is the first season of the 12-team playoff after 10 years of the four-team playoff, marking a significant expansion that will see first round games played on college campuses — a first in the CFP era.
The selection committee’s first top 25 ranking is a baseline indicator of where things stand now while keeping in mind that there are five more re-rankings, concluding with Selection Day on Sunday, December 8.
Without further ado, here’s the committee’s initial top 25 rankings.
2024 College Football Playoff Top 25 (Nov. 5)
1. Oregon (9-0)
2. Ohio State (7-1)
3. Georgia (7-1)
4. Miami (9-0)
5. Texas (7-1)
6. Penn State (7-1)
7. Tennessee (7-1)
8. Indiana (9-0)
9. BYU (8-0)
10. Notre Dame (7-1)
11. Alabama (6-2)
12. Boise State (7-1)
13. SMU (8-1)
14. Texas A&M (7-2)
15. LSU (6-2)
16. Ole Miss (7-2)
17. Iowa State (7-1)
18. Pittsburgh (7-1)
19. Kansas State (7-2)
20. Colorado (6-2)
21. Washington St. (7-1)
22. Louisville (6-3)
23. Clemson (6-2)
24. Missouri (6-2)
25. Army (8-0)
Initial takeaways
One of the early debates was Ohio State at No. 2 and Georgia at No. 3. The chair of the selection committee, Warde Manuel, said that decision came down to the teams’ losses. While the Buckeyes lost by 1 point to current No. 1 Oregon on the road, Georgia lost by a touchdown on the road at current No. 11 Alabama. It’s “splitting hairs” a bit, but that was the differentiator for the committee this week.
Probably the biggest question mark of this initial ranking was whether the committee would reward a 9-0 Indiana team that’s looked strong all season (including putting up a whopping 77 points on Western Illinois — a program record for the most points scored in a game). Indeed, the committee seems to have taken notice, ranking the Hoosiers at No. 8 and ahead of No. 9 BYU. This despite the Cougars having two wins over ranked teams (vs. no ranked wins for the Hoosiers).
How the 12-team playoff will work
The 12-team playoff is a bit more involved than its four-team predecessor, so let’s take a look at how it will work.
Previously, the four-team playoff, which decided the national champion from 2014-2023, simply pitted the top four teams in the country against one another in two semifinal games that rotated between the New Year’s Six bowls. No. 1 faced No. 4 and No. 2 faced No. 3. The winner of each semifinal advanced to the national championship game.
With the expansion to 12 teams, which is guaranteed for at least the 2024 and 2025 seasons (additional expansion can happen as early as 2026), there’s more to making the playoff, and a team’s positioning in the playoff, than just being ranked in the top four.
Here’s how the 12 teams will be selected:
1. Guaranteed bids. The top five conference champions in the CFP rankings are guaranteed bids. Note: No conference is guaranteed an automatic bid, and a conference must have at least eight members for its champion to be eligible for a guaranteed bid.
2. At-large bids. After the top five conference champions, the seven highest-ranked remaining teams will be selected. Note: This could include additional conference champions.
Also new for the 12-team playoff? First-round byes and games on college campuses.
Yep, you read that right. The four highest-ranked conference champions will receive first-round byes. The remaining teams will play each other in the first round at the home field of the better seeds or an alternate venue if the higher-ranked team chooses.
First round matchups will see:
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No. 5 vs. No. 12
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No. 6 vs. No. 11
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No. 7 vs. No. 10
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No. 8 vs. No. 9.
The teams that had first round byes will then face the first-round winners as follows:
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No. 1 vs. winner of No. 8/9
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No. 2 vs. winner of No. 7/10
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No. 3 vs. winner of No. 6/11
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No. 4 vs. winner of No. 5/12
The New Year’s Six bowls will continue to host the semifinals and, now, the quarterfinals. The championship game will continue to be held at a separately determined neutral site, with the 2024 season champion to be decided in Atlanta, Georgia, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 20, 2025.
