College Football Playoff Confirms It Will Transition to a 5+7 Format
The College Football Playoff Board of Managers voted unanimously on Tuesday to revise the 12-team playoff criteria to now include the five highest-ranked conference champions and the next seven highest-ranked teams as determined by the CFP Selection Committee.
This was the expected outcome ahead of the 2024 college football season, as the dissolution of the Pac-12 made the 6+6 format obsolete. Now, with a revised 5+7 format officially in place, college football players, coaches, and fans can look ahead to the future with a clear idea of what things will look like in the postseason.
“This is a very logical adjustment for the College Football Playoff based on the evolution of our conference structures since the board first adopted this new format in September 2022,” said Dr. Mark Keenum, Chair of the CFP Board of Managers, in a statement. “I know this change will also be well received by student-athletes, coaches and fans. We all will be pleased to see this new format come to life on the field this postseason.”
Under the new 12-team playoff format, which will begin this fall, the four highest-ranked conference champions will each receive a first-round bye after being seeded one through four. Meanwhile, the teams seeded five through 12 will kick off the first round of the playoff, with the higher seed hosting the opening round game on their home field (#12 at #5; #11 at #6; #10 at #7; #9 at #8).
The quarterfinal and semifinal games will be hosted at the New Year’s Six bowl sites, while the National Championship Game will continue to be played at a neutral site as well.
As noted in the CFP release, no conference will qualify automatically, nor will there be a limit on the number of teams that one conference can have in the playoff.
The first round of the 2024 College Football Playoff will begin on Friday, December 20, with the National Championship concluding the playoff on Monday, January 20, 2025.
