The top-four seeds and first-round byes in the 12-team College Football Playoff, which will ultimately determine a national champion, were awarded to top-seeded Oregon, Georgia, Boise State, and Arizona State on Sunday.
This season’s playoffs expanded from four to twelve teams, and the 13-member selection committee chose the top five conference winners in addition to seven at-large teams. A top-four seed and the benefit of a bye into the quarterfinals were only available to the top four conference winners. The committee’s final top-25 rankings deviated from its seedings as a result of that regulation.
Seedings for the 12-team bracket:
1. Oregon (13-0)
2. Georgia (11-2)
3. (12-1) Boise State
4. Arizona State (11-2)
5. Texas (11-2)
6. Penn State (11-2)
7. 11-1 Notre Dame
8. Ohio State (10-2)
9. Tennessee (10-2)
10. Indiana (11-1)
11. SMU (11-2)
12. Clemson (10-3)
Committee chair and Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel had stated that teams not playing in conference championship games this weekend were effectively frozen in order, so there was little movement anticipated between the committee’s penultimate top-25 ranking, which was announced on Tuesday, and the final ranking on Sunday.
Many favorites won their conference championship games in the 48 hours leading up to the bracket release, but there was one exception: Clemson shocked SMU and won Saturday’s ACC title game with a last-second field goal. Just one week prior, SMU, a conference champion predicted to be a potential top-four seed, had its resume thrust into a fight for the final at-large position with other at-large contenders like Alabama, who had more losses but more top-25 wins.
Even though the Mustangs lost in the championship game, they were still selected by the playoff selection committee, which excluded Alabama, a perennial powerhouse, making SMU one of the bracket’s biggest victors.
Oregon’s victory over Penn State in the Big Ten, Georgia’s overtime victory over Texas in the SEC, Arizona State’s victory over Iowa State in the Big 12, and Boise State’s victory over UNLV in the Mountain West this past weekend guaranteed the top four seeds.
The playoffs will start on Dec. 20–21 with a first round involving teams ranked 5–12, contested at the home stadiums of the higher-seeded at-large team, with seeds 1-4 receiving a bye.
These games are now scheduled:
- Clemson at Texas
- Indiana at Notre Dame
- SMU at Penn State
- Tennessee at Ohio State
The first-round winners will face one of the top four seeds on either December 31 or January 1 in the quarterfinals, which will be held at the Fiesta Bowl, Rose Bowl, Peach Bowl, and Sugar Bowl. According to the seedings, the winner of Ohio State vs. Tennessee will play Oregon, the winner of Indiana vs. Notre Dame will play Georgia, the winner of SMU vs. Penn State will play Boise State, and the winner of Clemson vs. Texas will play Arizona State.
The remaining College Football playoff dates are as follows:
Semifinals: Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl, January 9–10.
Championship: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, January 20.
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