On Sunday, December 8, the much-anticipated 12-team College Football Playoff bracket was officially announced, setting the stage for an exciting postseason. The playoffs will kick off with quarterfinals starting on Tuesday, December 31. This year, the University of Oregon earned the prestigious title of the No. 1 seed after a superb season.
Alongside Oregon, three other teams received first-round byes. These teams include Georgia, Boise State, and Arizona State. It’s interesting to note that the seeding does not always correlate with the final top 25 rankings. The committee prioritized the four highest-ranked conference champions, which determined the top four seeds. Boise State, despite being ranked No. 9 in the final standings, secured the No. 3 seed due to its status as the third-highest ranked conference champion.
Arizona State, ranked at No. 12, made its way into the playoffs by being the fourth highest-ranked conference champion, surpassing the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) champion, Clemson, which ranked No. 16. Once the bracket is out, the seeds remain fixed, meaning no re-seeding occurs, adding some predictability to the matchups.
The quarterfinal games will not be played at campus sites this season. Instead, they are scheduled at iconic venues: the Fiesta Bowl, Rose Bowl, Peach Bowl, and Sugar Bowl. The winners of these games will move on to the semifinals, which will take place on January 9 and January 10 at either the Orange Bowl or Cotton Bowl.
If everything goes as planned, the top seeds will see the No. 1 team facing off against the No. 4 seed, while the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds will compete against each other. The grand finale, the national championship game, is scheduled for January 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Fans are eagerly looking forward to these playoff matchups, which promise to deliver high-intensity games and possibly some surprises along the way!
