College Football Playoff: Here's what this year's 12-team field would be
College Football Playoff expansion is official and scheduled to make its debut for the 2024 season, ushering in the era of the 12-team postseason in NCAA football.
But right now, with the new top 25 rankings on the books, it's fun to take a look into the future and see what the expanded format would look like.
What is looks like now: College Football Playoff semifinals, New Year's bowl games set
Sitting here in College Football Playoff present, let's take a trip to College Football Playoff future and get a glimpse of what could be based on this year's poll.
What it will look like: Previewing the 12-team CFP format
Here's your look at what the future could hold.
College Football Playoff rankings: What a 12-team expanded field would look like
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First four in
Under the model approved by the College Football Playoff, the top four seeds are reserved for the four highest-ranked conference champions, and for this exercise we're assuming each league's top-ranked teams would win its conference title.
These four teams would get a first-round bye in the playoff format and not play until the quarterfinals began.
And the rest
5. TCU (at-large)
6. Ohio State (at-large)
7. Alabama (at-large)
8. Tennessee (at-large)
9. Kansas State (Big 12 champion)
10. USC (at-large)
11. Penn State (at-large)
12. Tulane (AAC champion)
Going by the playoff's expansion proposal, the next six highest-ranked at-large teams are guaranteed berths in the postseason format, as well.
This season, the highest remaining ranked conference champions would be Kansas State and Tulane.
That's in addition to the other remaining six highest-ranked teams that didn't win or play for their conference championship.
College Football Playoff expanded schedule
First round games
Tulane at TCU
Penn State at Ohio State
USC at Alabama
Kansas State at Tennessee
The expanded playoff will feature a set of first-round games played on the campus of the schools ranked No. 5 through No. 8 in the third week of December.
Quarterfinal games
Clemson vs. Ohio State/Penn State
Utah vs. TCU/Tulane
Michigan vs. Alabama/USC
Georgia vs. Tennessee/Kansas State
The expanded playoff wants to incorporate the existing New Year's bowl games into hosting the quarterfinal and semifinal games.
Semifinal games
Michigan or Alabama or USC vs. Clemson or Ohio State or Penn State
and
Georgia or Tennessee or Kansas State vs. Utah or TCU or Tulane
The semifinal will likely be played during the week in order to avoid a scheduling conflict with the NFL Wild Card Weekend, something college football doesn't want.
Likewise, the National Championship Game will be played on a weeknight to avoid going against the NFL Divisional Round.
College Football Playoff predictions
First round: Alabama over USC | TCU over Tulane | Ohio State over Penn State | Tennessee over Kansas State
Quarterfinal: Ohio State over Clemson | TCU over Utah | Alabama over Michigan | Georgia over Tennessee
Semifinal: Alabama over Ohio State | Georgia over TCU
National Championship: Georgia over Alabama
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