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Full College Football Playoff Bracket Expert Predictions
In this story:
The inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff bracket is set. The undefeated Oregon Ducks claimed the top seed, while the SMU Mustangs edged the Alabama Crimson Tide to sneak into the field for the last spot. The Group of 5 automatic bid went to the Boise State Broncos, who also got a first-round bye as one of the highest-ranked conference champions. The Georgia Bulldogs (SEC) and Arizona State Sun Devils (Big 12) claimed the other two byes after winning their title games Saturday.
The monthlong march to the national championship game begins Dec. 20 with the No. 7 seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish hosting the No. 10 seed Indiana Hoosiers. Three more first-round games will be played at campus sites on Dec. 21. The quarterfinals will be contested on Dec. 31 (Fiesta Bowl) and Jan. 1 (Peach, Rose and Sugar Bowls). The semifinals held by the Orange and Cotton Bowls on Jan. 9 and 10, respectively, before Atlanta hosts the title game on Jan. 20.
Sports Illustrated college football writers Pat Forde and Bryan Fischer make their bracket predictions, plus the full CFP schedule with game times and TV information.
The stage is set. pic.twitter.com/n3HXN20Sl1
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) December 8, 2024
First Round
Pat Forde | Bryan Fischer |
|---|---|
No. 5 Texas over No. 12 Clemson | No. 5 Texas over No. 12 Clemson |
No. 9 Tennessee over No. 8 Ohio State | No. 8 Ohio State over No. 9 Tennessee |
No. 6 Penn State over No. 11 SMU | No. 6 Penn State over No. 11 SMU |
No. 7 Notre Dame over No. 10 Indiana | No. 10 Indiana over No. 7 Notre Dame |
No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame, 8 p.m. ET Dec. 20 (ABC/ESPN)
No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State, noon ET Dec. 21 (TNT/Max)
No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas, 4 p.m. ET Dec. 21 (TNT/Max)
No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State, 8 p.m. ET Dec. 21 (ABC/ESPN)
Quarterfinals
Pat Forde | Bryan Fischer | |
|---|---|---|
Peach Bowl | No. 4 Arizona State over No. 5 Texas | No. 5 Texas over No. 4 Arizona State |
Rose Bowl | No. 1 Oregon over No. 9 Tennessee | No. 1 Oregon over No. 8 Ohio State |
Fiesta Bowl | No. 6 Penn State over No. 3 Boise State | No. 6 Penn State over No. 3 Boise State |
Sugar Bowl | No. 7 Notre Dame over No. 2 Georgia | No. 2 Georgia over No. 10 Indiana |
Fiesta Bowl: At State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Ariz., 7:30 p.m. ET Dec. 31 (ESPN)
Peach Bowl: At Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, 1 p.m. ET Jan. 1 (ESPN)
Rose Bowl: At Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, Calif., 5 p.m. ET Jan. 1 (ESPN)
Sugar Bowl: At Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, 8:45 p.m. ET Jan. 1 (ESPN)
Semifinals
Pat Forde | Bryan Fischer | |
|---|---|---|
Orange Bowl | No. 1 Oregon No. 4 over Arizona State | No. 1 Oregon over No. 5 Texas |
Cotton Bowl | No. 7 Notre Dame over No. 6 Penn State | No. 2 Georgia over No. 6 Penn State |
Orange Bowl: At Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla., 7:30 p.m. ET Jan. 9 (ESPN)
Cotton Bowl: At AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas, 7:30 p.m. ET Jan. 10 (ESPN)
National Championship
At Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, 7:30 p.m. ET Jan. 20 (ESPN)
Pat Forde | Bryan Fischer |
|---|---|
No. 1 Oregon over No. 7 Notre Dame | No. 1 Oregon over No. 2 Georgia |
Bryan Fischer is a staff writer at Sports Illustrated covering college sports. He joined the SI staff in October 2024 after spending nearly two decades at outlets such as FOX Sports, NBC Sports and CBS Sports. A member of the Football Writers Association of America's All-America Selection Committee and a Heisman Trophy voter, Fischer has received awards for investigative journalism from the Associated Press Sports Editors and FWAA. He has a bachelor's in communication from USC.
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Pat Forde is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated who covers college football and college basketball as well as the Olympics and horse racing. He cohosts the College Football Enquirer podcast and is a football analyst on the Big Ten Network. He previously worked for Yahoo Sports, ESPN and The (Louisville) Courier-Journal. Forde has won 28 Associated Press Sports Editors writing contest awards, has been published three times in the Best American Sports Writing book series, and was nominated for the 1990 Pulitzer Prize. A past president of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association and member of the Football Writers Association of America, he lives in Louisville with his wife. They have three children, all of whom were collegiate swimmers.
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