College Football 12-Team Playoff Format, Schedule, Betting Odds

College football has a new playoff format in 2024.

With Week 1 right around the corner, here's everything you need to know about the new 12-team College Football Playoff.

College Football 12-Team Playoff Format

New College Football Playoff Format

The new College Football Playoff will now feature 12 teams instead of four.

The 12 teams will consist of the five highest-ranked conference champions, plus the next seven highest-ranked teams.

Like in years past, the ranking of teams will continue to be done by the College Football Playoff committee.

The four highest-ranked conference champions will receive the top four seeds and will be awarded a first-round bye. The next-closest conference champion will be seeded wherever they're ranked at the conclusion of the regular season (or at No. 12 if they are outside the top 12 rankings). Non-conference champions ranked inside the top four will not receive a top-four seed; instead they'll be seeded beginning at No. 5.

The eight teams that do not receive a first-round bye will play in a first-round matchup hosted by the higher seed.

The four highest-ranked teams will be assigned to the Playoff Quarterfinals hosted by Bowls. This will first be done with consideration of historical bowl relationships, then in consideration of rankings. Their Quarterfinals opponents will be determined by the bracket.

• No. 1 vs. No. 8/9 winner
• No. 4 vs. No. 5/12 winner
• No. 2 vs. No. 7/10 winner
• No. 3 vs. No. 6/11 winner

The bracket will remain in effect through the entirety of the playoff. There will not be re-seeding.

A printable College Football Playoff bracket can be found here.

College Football Playoff Schedule

The College Football Playoff First Round will take place on Friday, December 20th and Saturday, December 21st in 2024. The higher-seeded team will host each of the four first-round games.

• Game 1 (Site TBD): Friday, December 20th at 8 pm ET on ABC & ESPN
• Game 2 (Site TBD): Saturday, December 21st at 12 pm ET on TNT
• Game 3 (Site TBD): Saturday, December 21st at 4 pm ET on TNT
• Game 4 (Site TBD): Saturday, December 21st at 8 pm ET on ABC & ESPN

The College Football Playoff Quarterfinals will take place on Tuesday, December 31st, 2024 and Wednesday, January 1st, 2025. Sites are predetermined.

• Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, Arizona): Tuesday, December 31st at 7:30 pm ET on ESPN
• Peach Bowl (Atlanta, Georgia): Wednesday, January 1st at 1 pm ET on ESPN
• Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California): Wednesday, January 1st at 5 pm ET on ESPN
• Sugar Bowl (New Orleans, Louisiana): Wednesday, January 1st at 8:45 pm ET on ESPN

The College Football Playoff Semifinals will take place on Thursday, January 9th and Friday, January 10th in 2025. Sites are predetermined.

• Orange Bowl (Glendale, Arizona): Thursday, January 9th at 7:30 pm ET on ESPN
• Cotton Bowl (Atlanta, Georgia): Friday, January 10th at 7:30 pm ET on ESPN

The College Football Playoff National Championship will take place on Monday, January 20th, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia.

• National Championship (Atlanta, Georgia): Monday, January 20th at 7:30 pm ET on ESPN

College Football Playoff Odds

Below are the FanDuel Sportsbook odds to make the 2024-25 College Football Playoff, as of August 28th.

Odd subject to change

A full list of playoff odds can be found via the NCAAF odds on FanDuel Sportsbook.

Looking for the latest college football odds? Head over to FanDuel Sportsbook and check out all of the college football betting options.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.