How are College Football Playoff Teams Determined?

Only four teams make it to the College Football Playoff. Find out how they make the cut.

The College Football Playoff (CFP) is fast approaching and after months of match-ups to determine who will sit atop the rankings, only four teams will have the chance to compete for the national championship.

Since 2014, the four teams have been determined by a 13-member committee who consider a number of various factors, including strength of schedule, head-to-head results against common opponents, team records and championships won. The CFP selection committee meets in person up to ten times a year, ranking and seeing teams before releasing its top 25 rankings throughout the second half of the season.

The committee will release its first set of rankings during a live ESPN broadcast at 7 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Oct. 30. The rankings will be released every Tuesday through Nov. 27. The final rankings will be released on Sunday, Dec. 2. The four teams atop those final rankings will play in the playoff semifinals, which will be played at the Orange Bowl and the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 29. 

The College Football Playoff National Championship game will be played on Monday, Jan. 7, 2019.