It’s a momentous year for college football. It’s also a confusing one for fans. The new playoff structure is unprecedented, and so The Daily Emerald is here to take you through the new postseason ahead of what seems increasingly like the first Oregon appearance since 2014. Here are five things to know about the new College Football Playoff.
1. This is the first year of the expanded bracket
The former College Football Playoff, which existed from 2014-2023, was a four-team bracket that regularly included only conference champions or excluded a power conference entirely. Oregon qualified once, in the 2014 edition, where it eventually lost in the championship. In 2023, the Playoff announced its expansion to 12 teams, with guaranteed slots for the five highest-ranked conference champions and at-large bids for the next highest ranked schools.
2. There’s no limit on teams per conference
In the expanded edition of the Playoff, berths outside of the five conference champions are simply allocated to the next highest ranked teams. This means that there’s no cap on how many teams can make the bracket from one conference. As of the latest ranking, four Big Ten and three SEC schools would qualify for the postseason.
It’s a huge advantage for teams lower-ranked in these conferences: While Big 12 or ACC schools can barely afford one loss to secure an at-large (non-bye) bid, conference strength and quality losses could see an SEC school qualify with three losses.
3. The four highest-ranked conference champions get a bye
While five conference champions receive an automatic bid into the Playoff, the four highest-ranked champs will also receive a first-round bye. Whilst seeds No. 5 through 12 are playing first-round games on campus, the four best seeds will wait in the second round — benefiting from a crucial rest week.
Notably, this does not mean that the four byes will go to the four power conferences — the Big Ten, SEC, Big 12 and ACC. If (for example) potential Mountain West champion Boise State ends the year higher ranked than the Big 12 champion, the Broncos would likely receive the first-round bye and the Big 12 representative would receive the No. 12 seed, with a first-round road game at No. 5. It’s a huge tradeoff, and one to keep an eye on.
4. For the first time, games will be played on campus
Previously, Playoff games were hosted at a rotating set of New Year’s Six bowl games — the Orange, Sugar, Peach, Fiesta, Cotton and Rose Bowls. The National Championship was hosted at a neutral site, like last year, when it was played at Houston’s NRG Stadium. This year, Atlanta will play host to the season’s final game.
In 2024, first-round games will be hosted on campus for the first time in the College Football Playoff era. Seeds No. 5 through 8 will host games against seeds No. 9 through 12 on Dec. 20 and 21, 2024. Not only will the home teams get a sizable advantage, the atmosphere will be unlike anything fans have seen in the postseason to date.
5. The final set of rankings will be announced on Sun., Dec. 8.
While the Playoff committee will continue to release rankings on Tuesday evenings weekly, the one that really matters — the final set — will be released on Sun., Dec. 8, following conference championships. This is when the four byes will be allocated and home games decided. Following the conference championship weekend and the final poll, teams will get a minimum of 12 days off between conference championship game and the first round.
Have more questions? Follow the Emerald’s coverage of Oregon football and the College Football Playoff on social media, @DailyEmerald, and online at dailyemerald.com/category/sports.
