How will a 12-team College Football Playoff work?
The top four conference champions will be followed by the top six at-large bids and the two highest-ranked remaining conference champions in the 12-team format. Ordered by College Football Playoff rankings.That assures at least one “Group of 5″ club will reach the Playoff each year and, although rare, provides more than one G5 team to replace a “Power 5″ team.
Keep in mind Notre Dame, Army, UConn, and UMass, who are not conference members, will never be in the top four under the authorized system. They cannot win a conference title. No independent club will ever get a Playoff bye.
Seeds 5-8 host playoff games against seeds 9-12, giving the top four a bye. After that, the remaining eight teams will play in the New Year’s Day 6 bowls (Rose, Sugar, Orange, Fiesta, Cotton, and Peach). After that, the quarterfinal and semifinal bowls will swap annually.
The top team will then pick its quarterfinal opponent and location. Next, the No. 2 and No. 3 teams will choose their venues. Finally, the No. 4 team automatically plays in the quarterfinals’ final bowl.
The highest-ranked team entering the semifinals will choose its bowl, while the other two will play in the Playoff’s last bowl by default.
