The College Football Playoff era began with the 2014 season. For the first decade, four teams were selected to the Playoff field, with two semifinal games and a national championship game. But now we're in the 12-team era. Here's how the bracketing and CFP works:
- 12 teams will be selected to the Playoff field, with some teams earning automatic bids from the selection committee. Here's how the automatic bids are decided as of 2026:
- Each of the conference champions from the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten and SEC —also known as the Power 4 — will receive an automatic bid regardless of their final ranking.
- The highest-ranked team from one of the Group of 6 conferences (American, CUSA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12 OR Sun Belt) — regardless of whether its a conference champion or not — will also get an automatic bid.
- Previously in the first two years of the 12-team format (2024/25), the five highest-ranked conference champions — regardless of conference — received automatic bids.
- Notre Dame can also receive an automatic bid in 2026 if it ranks among the top-12 teams.
- The four highest-ranked teams regardless of conference champion status will receive the top four seeds in the playoff and a first-round bye.
- In the inaugural 12-team playoff in 2024, the four highest-ranked conference champions were seeded 1-4 and each will received a first-round bye
- Teams seeded 5-12 will play each other in the first round on the home field of the higher-ranked team
The quarterfinals and semifinals rotate among six bowls: Cotton, Fiesta, Orange, Peach, Rose and Sugar. Both semifinals will be played around the New Year's holiday with the national title game on a Monday night at least a week later. See the CFP schedule below.
2026-27 College Football Playoff round-by-round schedule
- First round | Week of Saturday, Dec. 19
- Location: the home field of the higher-seeded team or another site designated by the higher-seeded program.
- One game | Friday, Dec. 18
- Three games | Saturday, Dec. 19
- Quarterfinal sites:
- Fiesta Bowl | Wednesday, Dec. 30
- Cotton Bowl | Friday, Jan. 1
- Rose Bowl | Friday, Jan. 1
- Peach Bowl | Friday, Jan. 1
- Semifinal sites:
- Orange Bowl | Thursday, Jan. 14
- Sugar Bowl | Friday, Jan. 15
- CFP National Championship Game: Monday, Jan. 25, 2026 (in Las Vegas, Nevada)
Here's what you need to know about the postseason format put together by the commissioners of the 11 major college football conferences and Notre Dame's athletic director.
Who votes on the College Football Playoff rankings?
There are 13 members on the CFP selection committee. It's a collection of people with experience as coaches, players, college administrators, athletic directors and journalists. .
A committee of university presidents approved a plan for a newly 12-team College Football Playoff. In 2024, the College Football Playoff Board of Managers agreed to update the start of the 12-team CFP field beginning with the 2024-25 season to include a 5-7 format.
How often are the rankings announced?
The Selection Committee members will meet weekly to produce rankings. The committee’s rankings will be announced on ESPN. Here's the what the schedule was for the 2025-26 season:
- 8-8:45 p.m. | ET Tuesday, Nov. 4
- 7-8 p.m. ET | Tuesday, Nov. 11
- 8:30-9 p.m. ET | Tuesday, Nov. 18
- 7-8 p.m. ET | Tuesday, Nov. 25
- 7-7:30 p.m. ET | Tuesday, Dec. 2
- 12-3 p.m. ET | Sunday, Dec. 7 (Selection Day)
What will the committee use to rank teams?
: "The selection committee ranks the teams based on the members’ evaluation of the teams’ performance on the field, using conference championships won, strength of schedule, head-to-head results, and comparison of results against common opponents to decide among teams that are comparable."
How does the voting process work?
According to the CFP website, it begins like this: "Each committee member will create a list of the 30 teams he or she believes to be the best in the country, in no particular order. Teams listed by three or more members will remain under consideration. At the conclusion of any round, other teams can be added to the group of teams under consideration by a vote of three or more members." You can
Where and when are the games played?
Per the CFP, "College Football Playoff Semifinal games rotate among the Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl Game, Sugar Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl."
