Sat Dec 21 01:50:00 UTC 2024: **Expanded College Football Playoff Kicks Off with First-Round Games**
ATLANTA, GA – The College Football Playoff is expanding to 12 teams this year, marking a major change to the postseason landscape. The first round begins Friday, December 20th, with games hosted by Notre Dame, Penn State, Texas, and Ohio State. Three more first-round games follow on December 21st. This is a significant increase from the previous four-team playoff format.
The expanded playoff features the five highest-ranked conference champions, automatically seeded 1-4 with byes, and the next seven highest-ranked teams overall. The seeding, however, may differ from the final rankings, the CFP warns. First-round matchups will pit #5 vs #12, #6 vs #11, #7 vs #10, and #8 vs #9, with the higher-seeded team hosting.
Quarterfinal games are scheduled for New Year’s weekend (December 31st and January 1st) at traditional bowl game locations: the Fiesta, Peach, Rose, and Sugar Bowls. Semifinal games will be held on January 9th and 10th at the Orange and Cotton Bowls respectively. The national championship game is set for January 20th in Atlanta, Georgia.
ESPN will broadcast all playoff games. The expanded playoff adds to the excitement of the 46-game bowl season, which started December 14th and spans 37 days. While the expansion has generated some controversy, anticipation is high for the new format and the thrilling games to come.
First Piper 