With 10 weeks in the books, the picture for the College Football Playoff is becoming clearer.
On Tuesday, the CFP rankings will receive their first data point of the 2024 college football season, as the first of six playoff rankings will be released at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.
As is the case every year, the usual suspects will doubtless make up the top of the rankings, including severall teams from the Big Ten in Oregon, Ohio State and Penn State. But because of the expanded field this year, other teams such as Indiana make a fascinating case as we approach the end to the season.
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Here’s what you need to know on when the first College Football Rankings come out, including how to watch, how many teams are in the CFP this season and much more:
When do CFP rankings come out?
The first College Football Playoff rankings will be released on Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. ET.
Here’s a look at the full list of when the six CFP rankings will be released:
All times Eastern
- Tuesday, Nov. 5: 7 p.m.
- Tuesday, Nov. 12: 8:30 p.m.*
- Tuesday, Nov. 19: 7 p.m.
- Tuesday, Nov. 26: 8 p.m.
- Tuesday, Dec. 3: 7 p.m.
- Sunday, Dec. 8: Noon
* The second set of College Football Playoff rankings will be unveiled between games at the Champions Classic.
What time are CFP rankings?
The first of six College Football Rankings will be released at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
College Football Playoff rankings projections, predictions
Through the first 10 weeks of the season, the Big Ten has four contenders to make the College Football Playoff this year: No. 1 Oregon, No. 3 Penn State, No. 4 Ohio State and No. 13 Indiana.
Here’s where some college football analysts have those four teams projected in the CFP rankings:
- Oregon: No. 2 seed
- Penn State: No. 7 seed
- Ohio State: No. 5 seed
- Indiana: No. 11 seed
- Oregon: No. 1 (1 seed)
- Ohio State: No. 2 (5 seed)
- Penn State: No. 7 (7 seed)
- Indiana: No. 11 (11 seed)
ESPN’s experts unanimously have Oregon as No. 1 in the College Football Playoffs, and four of them have Indiana at No. 5. Eight have Ohio State at No. 5. Penn State is in across the board despite Saturday’s loss. Click through to see how they picked.
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How to watch CFP rankings show
- Date: Tuesday, Nov. 5
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- TV channel: ESPN
- Streaming option: ESPN app | Fubo (free trial)
The first College Football Playoff rankings show will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. You can also stream Tuesday’s show on the ESPN app (by logging in with your TV provider credentials) or on Fubo, which carries the ESPN family of networks and offers a free trial to new subscribers.
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How many teams in CFP 2024?
For the first time in the College Football Playoff era, the CFP will be more than just four teams, expanding to 12 total: five automatic qualifiers and seven at-larges.
The previous model, in use from 2014 through 2023, allowed for only four teams to make the playoff. Its predecessor, the BCS, allowed for a two-team, single-game playoff that decided the national championship.
How does College Football Playoff format work?
The CFP takes on a vastly different format this year, not only expanding from four teams to 12, but also introducing first-round byes, automatic bids and home games.
The five highest-ranked conference champions, ostensibly the Power Four champions and one Group of Five champion, will each receive an automatic bid. The four highest-ranked of these teams will be seeded 1-4 and given a first-round bye. If the Group of Five champion is not among the top 12 teams in the final poll, it will be slotted in at the No. 12 spot.
From there, seven at-large teams will make up the remainder of the field, beginning with No. 5 and concluding with, presumably, the No. 11 team. Seeds 5-12 will play in first-round games either at the home of the higher-ranked team or at another location of their choice.
No. 5 will host No. 12; No. 6 will host No. 11; No. 7 will host No. 10; and No. 8 will host No. 9. From there, winners of the first-round games will advance to the quarterfinals to take on the top four seeds.
Of note: Once the final bracket has been revealed, there will be no “re-seeding” to ensure the highest-ranked team faces the lowest-ranked remaining team. That means No. 1 will play the winner of the No. 8/9 game; No. 2 will play No. 7/10; No. 3 will play No. 6/11 and No. 4 will play No. 5/12.
The CFP committee also will not make special arrangements to ensure teams that met in the regular season will avoid playing in the postseason.
The quarterfinal games this year will take place in the Fiesta, Peach, Rose and Sugar bowls, with preferential bowls given to the highest-ranked teams. For example, No. 1 Oregon would likely prefer the Rose Bowl, leaving either the Sugar or Peach Bowls to No. 2 Georgia, and so on.
The semifinal games will take place in the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl, and the 2025 College Football Playoff championship game will take place in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
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