College Football Playoff Finalizes Format for 12-Team Field

The College Football Playoff has finalized its bracket format for the 12-team field. The five highest-ranked conference champions and the next seven highest-ranked teams will fulfill the 12 spots, beginning in 2024.

The College Football Playoff has finally settled on a format for a 12-team field. The expanded bracket will include the five highest-ranked conference champions, as well as the next seven highest-ranked teams, as determined by the Playoff's selection committee.

This new format will be adopted beginning next season, the first year of an expanded field. The College Football Playoff previously operated in a four-team format since its inception in 2014. 

The new "5-7 format" is a shift from the previous idea suggested by the College Football Playoff. Initially, the plan was to include the six highest-ranked conference champions and the next six highest-ranked teams.

“This is a very logical adjustment for the College Football Playoff based on the evolution of our conference structures since the board first adopted this new format in September 2022,” said Dr. Mark Keenum, President of Mississippi State University and Chair of the College Football Playoff Board of Managers. 

“I know this change will also be well received by student-athletes, coaches and fans. We all will be pleased to see this new format come to life on the field this postseason.”

Along with the format announcement, the College Football Playoff also provided some insight on bracket structure for the new 12-team field.

"Under the 12-team playoff format that begins this fall, the four highest-ranked conference champions will be seeded one through four and each will receive a first-round bye, while teams seeded five through 12 will play each other in the first round on the home field of the higher-ranked team. (The team ranked #5 will host #12; team #6 will meet team #11; team #7 will play team #10; and team #8 will meet #9)," the release states. 

"The quarterfinals and semifinals will be played in the New Year’s Six bowl games, the national championship game will continue to be at a neutral site. No conference will qualify automatically and there will be no limit on the number of participants from a conference."

The Big Ten bookmarked the four-team Playoff format. Ohio State won the inaugural College Football Playoff to close out a memorable 2014 season.

Michigan ended the 2023 campaign with a perfect 15-0 mark, defeating Alabama in the Rose Bowl and Washington in the national championship. 

Related Big Ten stories

• PENN STATE DISMISSES KANYE CLARY: Kanye Clary, Penn State's leading scorer this season, has been dismissed from the team, per coach Mike Rhoades. The sophomore guard was averaging 16.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. CLICK HERE
• BIG TEN POWER RANKINGS: With Purdue losing to Ohio State and Illinois going 2-0 last week, the race for the Big Ten regular season title is heating up with only a few weeks left in the season. Plus, Wisconsin continues to stumble and Michigan State is surging. CLICK HERE
• BIG TEN DAILY: Michigan State is pursuing a redshirt for guard Jeremy Fears Jr, coach Tom Izzo says. The Spartans freshman was injured in a December shooting in his hometown of Joliet, Ill. in December. Fears averaged 3.5 points and 3.3 assists in 12 games before the injury. CLICK HERE
• MEN'S BIG TEN TOURNAMENT TRACKER: The Big Ten Basketball Tournament is approaching quickly. This year's event is being held at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn. from March 13-17. We're keeping track of the bracket throughout the final month of the regular season. CLICK HERE
• WOMEN'S BIG TEN TOURNAMENT TRACKER: The Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament is getting closer. This year's event is being held at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn. from March 6-10. We're keeping track of the bracket throughout the final month of the regular season. CLICK HERE