For the first time in the sport’s 154-year history, the highest level of college football, the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), will finally have a true national champion.
Gone are the days of indexes, media polls, computer algorithms and a flawed four team format. The 12 best teams in America will fight for the national championship on the field.
The revamped College Football Playoff (CFP) will hope to bring a chaotic and thrilling season to the dramatic conclusion it deserves. Here is how the 12 national title contenders will be determined:
The CFP Selection Committee has not gone anywhere. A group of 13 athletic directors, former players and coaches, along with a journalist will meet in Dallas, Texas, to rank the teams in order.
The criteria the committee will use is similar to what has been used for the last decade.
Strength of schedule, head-to-head competition, comparative outcomes of common opponents, and other relevant factors (for exmple, availability of key players or coaches) that may affect a team’s postseason performance will be what is primarily taken into account.
It is important to remember that the objective of the committee is to include the 12 best teams, not the most deserving. It was a major point of controversy in 2023 after an undefeated Florida State University team, which won the ACC Championship, was left out of the top four after losing their star quarterback Jordan Travis.
This could explain why the University of Alabama, with three losses on its resume, was still included in the bracket despite having three losses.
The process of whittling the field of teams down to the final 12 is long and oftentimes contentious. The committee ranks 25 total teams, matching the traditional number of teams ranked by The Associated Press and the Coaches poll.
Voting includes seven rounds of ballots, through which committee members select small pools of teams to be evaluated and then ranked. During the discussion process, quantitative data, such as stats, and qualitative opinions from watching game film are considered. Voters have access to endless amounts of advanced statistics and full games to pull data from.
From this process, the top 25 teams in the nation are determined and more importantly, the playoff rankings are set.
The work that the CFP Committee engages in is time consuming, high-pressure, heavily scrutinized and oftentimes thankless. Their efforts make the national championship possible. Once the rankings are determined, the bracket is assembled.
The biggest change to the format comes with the seeding of the top 12. Being in the top 12 does not necessarily mean that team is locked into that position in the bracket, or even in the tournament at all.
Winning a conference championship gives teams a massive boost in the rankings.
Five champions are automatically locked into the field. The top four ranked conference champions (SEC, ACC, B1G, etc.) will be ranked 1-4 and will receive first-round byes. The fifth conference champion will be automatically placed in the field as they rank.
If the fifth conference champion is outside of the top 12, they will be given the 12th seed in the playoff.
The inclusion of a nonpower conference champion in the College Football Playoff is a welcomed change. In every previous championship format, it has been nearly impossible to contend for a national championship if they were outside of the FBS’ major conferences. This move levels the playing field for schools such as Boise State University, who historically have punched above their weight while playing in less respected leagues.
The remaining eight seeds are all at-large bids. Teams such as Penn State University and Ohio State University are both in a position to secure playoff spots despite not winning their conference.
On the other hand, teams within the top 12 could face lower seeding, or be bumped from playoff contention entirely. For example, in this week’s ranking, the University of Miami has been ranked 12th. However, if Arizona State holds on to win the Big 12, the Sun Devils, who are fifteenth in the latest CFP ranking, would slot into the final slot by way of being a conference champion. The Hurricanes would be sent home despite being ranked higher than Arizona State.
An exciting aspect of the new format are home playoff games for the first round matchups. The intensity and pressure of the postseason combined with the passion and noise of the on-campus crowds.
From there, teams will play at the sites of the New Year’s Six Bowl. This season, the Fiesta, Peach, Rose and Sugar Bowls will host quarterfinal matchups and the Orange and Cotton Bowls will see semifinal action. The national championship will be decided at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
There is a lot still to be determined this coming conference championship weekend. Depending on which teams come out of their championship games victorious, the bracket could look very different after the final ranking.
No. 17 Clemson University and No. 15 Iowa State University, who have not been a part of the playoff discussion in recent weeks, can secure automatic bids if they win their conferences this Saturday. Last minute chaos can seriously shake up this field.
The 2024 college football season has been marked by stunning upsets, instant classic games, and dramatic finishes. Here’s to hoping the new CFP format delivers the finish this historic year deserves.
