How Does New 12-Team College Football Playoff Work? Here Are The Rules & Schedule

It’s the beginning of the 12-team era, which means new College Football Playoff rules. The dramatic expansion of the CFB postseason brings plenty of variables to both betting and enjoying as a fan. Before understanding its impact on college football national title odds, it’s worth diving into the CFP rules, including the format for the bracket and TV schedule.

The CFP is just one branch of an elaborate tree of changes to the sport this year. A major conference realignment takes hold, NIL takes root as a true booming industry, and the transfer portal reshuffles more players than ever. Here at TheLines, we keep up with the moves, so you don’t have to. Stay tuned all season long for the latest on college football betting, weekly odds, and tools to help you navigate a more difficult betting market.

What Are the College Football Playoff Rules?

This year, the CFP moves from four teams to 12. The postseason consists of four rounds:

• First round (played on home campuses): Dec. 20-21
• Quarterfinals (rotating New Year’s Six games): Dec. 31-Jan. 1
• Semifinals (two rotating NY6 games): Jan. 9-10
• College Football Playoff National Championship: Jan. 20

Given added rounds, the playoff is pushed a week ahead, now played on Martin Luther King Jr. Day for the foreseeable future. Some games maintained their place on the schedule, like the Rose Bowl Game, which will always be played on Jan. 1 at 5:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. PT. However, that cements its future as a quarterfinal game moving forward.

Who gets in the college football playoffs?

The top four conference champions earn seeds 1-4, regardless of overall record. For example, a 9-4 Big 12 champion Kansas State would be ranked over a 12-1 Georgia team that lost the SEC Championship. Those four teams receive a first-round bye and the remaining teams are seeded according to College Football Playoff rank.

The other seven teams are at-large bids, determined by CFP rankings. Seeds 5-8 host home playoff games against Seeds 9-12. One of those seven seeds will be the highest-ranked Group of Five conference champion; while there’s an outside chance a Go5 team ranks more highly than a Power Conference champion (see: 2021 Cincinnati), it’s more likely that team receives Seeds 10-12.

Notre Dame cannot receive a first-round bye, since those are reserved for conference champions. The Irish will have to compete for an at-large bid each season.

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What The 2023 College Football Playoff Would Have Looked Like

Let’s put all of these parameters into context. Given the 2023 final CFP rankings and regular season standings, here’s what last year’s 12-team CFP would have looked like (given existing alignment):

First Round

• (12) Liberty at (5) Florida State
• (11) Ole Miss at (6) Georgia
• (10) Penn State at (7) Ohio State
• (9) Missouri at (8) Oregon

Note: CFP rankings may have differed, since the committee tries to avoid regular season matchups. For example, Penn State and Ole Miss may have been flipped.

Quarterfinals

• Rose Bowl: (1) Michigan vs. Oregon/Missouri
• Peach Bowl: (4) Alabama vs. Florida State/Liberty
• Fiesta Bowl: (2) Washington vs. Ohio State/Penn State
• Sugar Bowl: (3) Texas vs. Georgia/Ole Miss

Semifinals

• Orange Bowl: Rose Bowl winner vs. Peach Bowl winner
• Cotton Bowl: Fiesta Bowl winner vs. Sugar Bowl winner

National Championship: Orange Bowl winner vs. Cotton Bowl winner

2024 College Football Playoff By The Odds

Using 2024 College Football Playoff odds and rules, here’s what this year’s CFP might look like:

First Round

• (12) Liberty at (5) Oregon
• (11) Michigan at (6) Texas
• (10) Alabama at (7) Notre Dame
• (9) Ole Miss at (8) Penn State

Quarterfinals

• Sugar Bowl: (1) Georgia vs. Ole Miss/Penn State
• Fiesta Bowl: (4) Utah vs. Oregon/Liberty
• Rose Bowl: (2) Ohio State vs. Notre Dame/Alabama
• Peach Bowl: (3) Florida State vs. Texas/Michigan

Semifinals

• Orange Bowl: Rose Bowl winner vs. Peach Bowl winner
• Cotton Bowl: Fiesta Bowl winner vs. Sugar Bowl winner

National Championship: Orange Bowl winner vs. Cotton Bowl winner

Odds To Make The 2024 College Football Playoff

Find the odds of making the 12-team College Football Playoff below. “Yes” odds are listed, as both DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook offer “No” props on these teams. Lines are subject to change. Click on odds to bet now.