Home » Key takeaways before the College Football Playoff selection reveal.

Key takeaways before the College Football Playoff selection reveal.

by Sadie Mae
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[After 15 weeks of thrilling action and shocking upsets, the College Football Playoff (CFP) is just about here. And it comes with added anticipation this year as, for the first time ever, 12 teams will be competing for a place in the College Football Playoff Championship Game instead of four.

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On Sunday, a 13-person committee will release its final rankings, determining the field for this year’s playoffs. So, ahead of the first-of-its-kind event, here is everything you need to know.

Previously, the CFP ran for just two rounds with four teams involved, but this year marks the first season with an expanded field allowing more teams to compete for a national championship. In this new format, the five highest-ranked conference champions and the next seven highest-ranked teams will fill the 12 spots in the bracket. There is no limit to how many teams from one conference can qualify – and it looks as if the Big Ten and SEC will dominate the field.

The final CFP rankings will not necessarily reflect the seeding of the 12 teams in the tournament. The top four conference champions will get a first-round bye into the quarterfinal round. If a team is ranked in the top four but is not a conference champion, it will be seeded fifth and will play in two weeks in the first round of the playoffs.

Once the seeds have been set, teams can look forward to a first round game on December 20 or December 21 at the home stadiums of the highest seeds. The four highest-ranked conference champions – likely Boise State, Georgia, Oregon, and Arizona State – are to be the top four seeds and will each receive a first-round bye.

The fate of some teams will come down to the wire. Alabama was ranked No. 11 in the committee’s Tuesday rankings, scraping into the playoff spots ahead of Miami after the Hurricanes shocking loss to Syracuse on November 30. That result ended any hopes that No. 12 Miami, No. 13 Ole Miss, and No. 14 South Carolina might have had of making the playoffs.

As mentioned above, Georgia’s win over Texas means that they’re going to be able to rest up and wait to play on either New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day in the semifinals. The Longhorns will now have to play in the first round. Arizona State’s win in the Big 12 championship game over Iowa State has sent the Cyclones home for the season.

The result that shook up the field the most is Clemson University’s thrilling win over SMU in the ACC championship game. The Tigers guaranteed themselves a spot in the field of 12 with a walk-off field goal as time expired, having just given up a 17-point lead to the Mustangs. But a vital kickoff return put Clemson in position and a clutch 56-yard field goal sent them to the postseason.

For all the stars taking to the field in the playoffs, there will be a notable one missing. Colorado’s Travis Hunter, whose extraordinary capabilities on both sides of the ball have made him the front-runner for this year’s Heisman Trophy, will miss out on the playoffs as his team didn’t make the Big 12 Championship game.



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