SMU Pushes Out Alabama; Four Big Ten Teams Featured in Inaugural 12-Team College Football Playoff

In the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, the SMU Mustangs edged out Alabama and Miami for the final bid with four Big Ten teams claiming spots.

Auburn running back Jarquez Hunter (27) is stopped during an Alabama goal line stand at the end of the first half on Nov. 30, 2024. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Despite a conference championship loss, SMU nudged out the Alabama Crimson Tide for the final spot in the College Football Playoff.

The College Football Playoff committee released its final rankings and pairings for the inaugural 12-team playoff. The Big Ten Conference earned four spots, with Oregon, Penn State, Ohio State and Indiana. The Southeastern Conference claimed three positions, with Georgia, Tennessee and Texas.

The four highest-ranked conference champions - Oregon, Georgia, Boise State and Arizona State - all received automatic bids into the quarterfinal round of the College Football Playoff with their conference crowns won over the weekend. The ACC champion, Clemson, also received an automatic bid to the playoff as the fifth-highest-ranked conference champion.

THE BRACKET IS SET ✍️

Who are you taking to win the #CFBPlayoff? pic.twitter.com/9BDWwesEVL

— ESPN (@espn) December 8, 2024

Oregon received the top overall seed as the No. 1 team with their Big Ten championship followed by the SEC champion Georgia for the second seed. Boise State claimed the third seed as the next highest-rated conference champion despite being a non-Power Four program. Arizona State earned the fourth seed as the Big 12 champion, edging Clemson for the final first-round bye.

The No. 5-8 seeds earned home games for the opening round of the playoff. The No. 5 seed, Texas, earned the highest non-bye seed and is set to face No. 12 Clemson in Austin in the first round. Texas fell to Georgia in overtime of the SEC championship game 22-19 on Saturday, dropping the Longhorns out of a first-round bye. The winner of Texas vs. Clemson will face a neutral-site game against Arizona State.

No. 6 Penn State earned a home contest after ending as the Big Ten runner-up, dropping its Indianapolis matchup with Oregon 45-37. The highest drama of the release came between 9-3 Alabama and 10-2 SMU, as the Mustangs failed to claim an automatic bid, falling to Clemson in the ACC championship game 34-31 on a walk-off field goal. Ultimately, SMU nudged out the Crimson Tide as the committee recognized that Alabama's two losses to 6-6 programs - Vanderbilt and Oklahoma - were too much to overcome.

SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings scrambles during the third quarter against Clemson Tigers in the 2024 ACC championship game. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

No. 7 Notre Dame avoided any chaos on conference championship weekend by remaining idle. The Fighting Irish will host a first-round contest in South Bend against No. 10 Indiana, a team that also was idle Saturday after an 11-1 regular season.

No. 8 Ohio State claimed the final first-round home tilt despite missing out on conference championship weekend due to a 13-10 loss to unranked Michigan in the Buckeyes' regular-season finale. No. 9 Tennessee will travel to Columbus following a 10-2 season.

Along with Alabama, Miami was left out of the playoff after a regular-season finale loss to Syracuse that knocked the Hurricanes out of the ACC championship game.

Syracuse fans celebrate on the field after the Orange's win against Miami. | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

The first round contests begin the weekend of Dec. 20-21, with the opening game set for Friday, Dec. 20 at 7 p.m. CST on ABC/ESPN. The Saturday slate will feature an 11 a.m. CST kickoff on TNT, followed by a 3 p.m. CST contest on TNT. The first round wraps Saturday with a 7 p.m. CST kickoff on ABC/ESPN.

The quarterfinals take place on New Year's Eve through New Year's Day with the Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl, all on ESPN. The CFP semifinals are set for Jan. 9-10, with the College Football Playoff National Championship ending the season on Monday, Jan. 20, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

College Football Playoff Field Seeds

1. Oregon
2. Georgia
3. Boise State
4. Arizona State
5. Texas
6. Penn State
7. Notre Dame
8. Ohio State
9. Tennessee
10. Indiana
11. SMU
12. Clemson

Final College Football Playoff Rankings

1. Oregon
2. Georgia
3. Texas
4. Penn State
5. Notre Dame
6. Ohio State
7. Tennessee
8. Indiana
9. Boise State
10. SMU
11. Alabama
12. Arizona State
13. Miami
14. Ole Miss
15. South Carolina
16. Clemson
17. BYU
18. Iowa State
19. Missouri
20. Illinois
21. Syracuse
22. Army
23. Colorado
24. UNLV
25. Memphis

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