College Football Playoff

This page serves as a hub for the College Football Playoff.

What Is The College Football Playoff?

The College Football Playoff (or Playoff) is a tournament that determines the Division I national champion.

The Playoff made its debut in 2014 as a 4-team event. In 2024, it expanded to 12 teams. Future expansion is possible.

The Playoff replaced the BCS, which began in 1998 and used various formulas to pit the No. 1 ranked team against the No. 2 ranked team in a BCS Championship Game.

How Many Teams in The College Football Playoff?

The current Playoff field includes 12 teams, but it was a 4-team tournament from 2014-2023.

How Are Teams Selected for The College Football Playoff?

Every season, a CFP Selection Committee tracks and measures the success of every Division I college football in the country. There are 13 people on the Selection Committee. Each member typically serves on the Committee for 3 years, with consistent rotation each year.

The Committee meets and votes on a Top 25. Their first ranking typically happens in late October. There are 7 sets of rankings. The Committee continues to meet, discuss and rank teams until their final ranking is revealed on the Sunday after conferences play their championship games. The meetings and discussions are private. Only their rankings are public.

From 2014-2023, the Committee selected the 4 teams to participate in the Playoff.

In 2024, the Playoff expanded to 12 teams, but the Committee only selected 7 teams. Automatic bids were awarded to the 5 highest-ranked conference champions.

Will The Playoff Expand Again?

The 12-team Playoff was so successful, but also controversial, that there already is a push to expand the field to 16 teams. The SEC and Big Ten favor further expansion with a set number of guaranteed bids going to their conferences.

How Many People Are on The Selection Committee?

There are 13 Committee members, including the chairman. Each member typically serves on the Committee for 3 seasons, with consistent rotation each year. Football experience is preferred but not required. For instance, Condoleezza Rice was on the inaugural Selection Committee.

Who Won The First College Football Playoff?

The Playoff debuted in 2014. Ohio State defeated Oregon 42-20 in the inaugural Playoff championship game.

The No. 4 seed Buckeyes defeated No. 1 seed Alabama in the Playoff semifinals. No. 2 seed Oregon defeated No. 3 seed Florida State in the other semifinal.

Chris Wright

Managing Editor

A 30-time APSE award-winning editor with previous stints at the Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer, Executive Editor Chris Wright oversees editorial operations for Saturday Down South.