A common question that comes up is how does the 12-team college football playoff work? What will the schedule and matchups of the teams be? We’ll go through all of the changes from last season for you. At first, it can seem a little confusing, but it’s pretty awesome to expand the opportunity for teams this season.
How are Teams Picked for the 12-Team College Football Playoff?
So, the biggest source of confusion for some fans is how are teams picked for the 12-team college football playoff? The PAC-12 becoming the PAC-2 didn’t help matters here. First, the five highest-ranked conference champions in FBS receive automatic bids. Then, the seven highest-ranked teams that are remaining fill out the 12 team field. Of this list, the top four highest ranked conference champions are awarded seeds 1-4 (yes, Notre Dame can’t make this group this year). Then, the remaining teams are seeded 5-12.
Where is the First Round of the 2024-25 College Football Playoff being Played?
In the first round, seeds 5-12 play each other in the college football playoff. The higher seed in the matchup is the host of the game. This could be held at their home field, or in some cases the school might elect to try and play the game at a larger stadium in the same city if the planets align with the NFL schedules (and they want to). The First round matchups by seed will be:
- No. 5 vs. No. 12
- No. 6 vs. No. 11
- No. 7 vs. No. 10
- No. 8 vs. No. 9
Where are the College Football Playoff Quarter and Semifinal Games Played?
The four quarterfinal and two semifinal games will be played at the New Year’s Six bowl games. Unlike the NFL playoffs, there is no reseeding in the CFP schedule. So, we’ll see the #1 seed play the winner of #8/#9, and so on. Here’s the schedule for the quarterfinal games along with the kickoff time and assigned TV network.
2024-25 College Football Playoff Quarterfinal Schedule
The bowl games, dates, kickoff times and TV networks are assigned for the college football playoffs for 2024-25. You can check em out below.
| Bowl Game | Bowl Game / MATCHUP | DATE | TIME (ET) | TV |
 | Fiesta Bowl | Dec. 31, 2024 | 7:30 PM | ESPN |
 | Peach Bowl | Jan. 1, 2025 | 1:00 PM | ESPN |
 | Rose Bowl | Jan. 1, 2025 | 5:00 PM | ESPN |
 | Sugar Bowl | Jan. 1, 2025 | 8:45 PM | ESPN |
2024-25 College Football Playoff Semifinal Schedule
The 2024-25 College Football Playoff semifinal schedule sees the Orange and Cotton bowls hosting this postseason. The kickoff times are set. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN.
| Bowl Game | Bowl Game / MATCHUP | DATE | TIME (ET) | TV |
 | Orange Bowl | Jan. 9, 2025 | 7:30 PM | ESPN |
 | Cotton Bowl | Jan. 10, 2025 | 7:30 PM | ESPN |
2024-25 College Football Championship
| 2025 National Championship | |||
| GAME | DATE | TIME (ET) | TV |
| Semifinal Winners | Jan. 20, 2025 | 7:30 PM | ESPN |
What Teams Would have Made a 12-Team Field in 2023-24?
So, if we had a 12 team field for 2023-24, FSU would have gotten a shot. The top 4 teams would have been the same (Michigan, Washington, Texas, and Alabama). Liberty would have gotten the nod for non-power 5 conference champions. Here’s what the first round matchups would have looked like:
- No. 12 Liberty at No. 5 Florida State
- No. 11 Ole Miss at No. 6 Georgia
- No. 10 Penn State at No. 7 Ohio State
- No. 9 Missouri at No. 8 Oregon
What Does the Remaining 2024-25 College Football Bowl Schedule Look Like?
So, the 2024-25 college football bowl schedule looks very similar to past years. Other than the New Year’s Six Bowls being used for the playoff, we still get to enjoy the remaining bowl games. Here’s the schedule for you.
