College football schedule: New details on expanded CFB Playoff games

What we know about the schedule for the 12-team expanded College Football Playoff

When the College Football Playoff finally expands to a 12-team tournament next season, the first-round games will kick off on Friday and Saturday in the third week of December, with quarterfinal and semifinal matchups spread out across more than one day of football, CFP commissioner Bill Hancock announced.

But in a move to avoid competing head-to-head with NFL playoff games, the College Football Playoff semifinal matchups will be played on weeknights, with the expectation being on Thursday and Friday, to not go against NFL Wild Card games.

The inaugural first-round games of the expanded College Football Playoff will feature one game on Fri., Dec. 20, 2024, and three games on Sat., Dec. 21, 2024.

Playoff officials are also looking into setting mid-week games for the 2024 quarterfinals, with three games on Jan. 1 and the fourth on either Dec. 31 or Jan. 2 to avoid conflicting with the NFL.

In the existing four-team CFP format, the days on which semifinal games have been played has changed while the national championship game has been played on Monday nights after the end of the NFL regular season and its Monday Night Football package have concluded.

Now, as the expanded NFL regular season moves further into the month of January, with many games being played on Saturday, there's less space on the calendar for the College Football Playoff to pick its dates.

Related: What every College Football Playoff would have looked like with 12 teams

College Football Playoff expansion — What to expect

Members of the CFP Board of Managers approved the following:

1. The 12 teams will be the six conference champions ranked highest by the selection committee (no minimum ranking requirement), plus the six highest-ranked teams not included among the six highest-ranked conference champions.

2. The ranking of the teams will continue to be done by a selection committee whose size, composition, and method of selection will remain substantially unchanged. The Management Committee will modify the selection protocol as required by the change to the playoff structure.

3. The four highest-ranked conference champions will be seeded one through four and each will receive a first-round bye.

4. The other eight teams will play in the first round with the higher seeds hosting the lower seeds either on campus or at other sites designated by the higher-seeded institution (No. 12 at No. 5, No. 11 at No. 6, No. 10 at No. 7 and No. 9 at No. 8.)

5. The model allows for first-round games to be played on either the second or third weekend in December in a way that best accommodates the format and the participating teams, with at least 12 days between the conference championship games and the first-round games. The Management Committee would make the final determination of the calendar.

6. Subject to reaching agreement with bowls, the four quarterfinal games and two Playoff Semifinal games would be played in bowls on a rotating basis.

7. The national championship game will continue to be played at a neutral site.

8. Subject to reaching agreement with bowls, the four highest-ranked conference champions will be assigned to quarterfinals bowls on selection day in ranking order, and in consideration of current contract bowl relationships if those bowls are selected for the rotation. For example, if the Pac-12 champion were ranked No. 1, the Big Ten champion were ranked No. 3, and the Rose Bowl were a quarterfinal site, the Pac-12 champion would be assigned to the Rose Bowl and the Big Ten champion would be assigned elsewhere.

9. With the four highest-ranked champions assigned to quarterfinal games in bowls, the opponent from first-round game winners will be assigned by the selection committee based on the bracket.

10. The higher seeds would receive preferential placement in the Playoff Semifinal games.

11. First-round games will not have title or presenting sponsors and existing venue signage will remain in place. The CFP will control the video boards.

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