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    College Football Playoff (CFP)

    Also known as CFP, College Football Playoff

    The College Football Playoff (CFP) is the 12-team tournament that decides the national champion in top-level (FBS) college football.[1] Its selection committee ranks teams and builds the bracket. The 2027 final is on 25 January at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.[2][3] Indiana won the title for the 2025 season.[4]

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    Key facts

    The College Football Playoff (CFP) is the postseason tournament that decides the national champion in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the top level of US college football. It moved from four teams to 12 for the 2024 season.[5] It kept the 12-team format for 2026-27.[1]

    Governance

    Two bodies shape the playoff. The CFP Management Committee sets the format. It is made up of the 10 FBS conference commissioners and the athletic director of the University of Notre Dame.[1] The CFP Selection Committee ranks the top 25 teams during the season and assigns the 12 playoff teams to the bracket.[2] For 2026-27 the selection committee is chaired by Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek. It releases six rankings, starting on 3 November, with Selection Day on 6 December.[2][6]

    Format in 2026-27

    The bracket takes the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC champions, the highest-ranked team from the American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12 or Sun Belt, and the next seven highest-ranked teams.[7] This replaces the 2024-25 rule, under which the five highest-ranked conference champions got the automatic bids.[8] Notre Dame is included if it finishes in the top 12.[9]

    The four highest-ranked teams get first-round byes.[10] Seeds 5-12 play on the higher seed’s campus.[11] The quarterfinals and semifinals rotate among the Cotton, Fiesta, Orange, Peach, Rose and Sugar Bowls.[12] From 2026-27 the top three seeds choose their bowl path in rank order.[13] The first round is on 18-19 December 2026, and the final is on 25 January 2027 in Las Vegas.[14][3] The how the College Football Playoff works explainer walks through seeding step by step.

    Champions and rivalries

    Indiana won the CFP national championship for the 2025 season. As of 10 October 2026, the Hoosiers had won 22 straight games.[4] Alabama has the most CFP titles, and Georgia is tied for second.[15] The two programmes have met in two CFP finals: Alabama won 26-23 in overtime in the 2018 game, and Georgia won 33-18 in 2022.[16]

    The expansion debate

    The SEC and Big Ten both wanted a bigger playoff but could not agree on the size. The SEC pushed for 16 teams with more at-large bids, and the Big Ten for up to 24 with several automatic qualifiers per conference.[17] That stalemate is why the 12-team format was extended.[1][5] On 10 October 2026 the CFP said its exclusive 30-day negotiating period with ESPN had ended on 9 October. It said discussions on media rights for a potential 24-team playoff were continuing.[18] Follow the current season in the college football 2026 tracker.

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    Questions readers ask

    What is the College Football Playoff?

    It is the 12-team tournament that decides the FBS national champion. First-round games are on campus, and the quarterfinals and semifinals are played at six rotating bowls.[1][12]

    Who runs the College Football Playoff?

    The CFP Management Committee, made up of the 10 FBS conference commissioners and Notre Dame's athletic director, sets the format. A separate selection committee ranks the teams and builds the bracket.[1][2]

    Which school has won the most CFP titles?

    Alabama has won the most CFP national championships, and Georgia is tied for the second most.[15]

    Will the playoff expand beyond 12 teams?

    Not in 2026-27. The SEC has pushed for 16 teams and the Big Ten for up to 24. On 10 October 2026 the CFP said talks with ESPN about a possible 24-team format were continuing.[17][18]

    Sources

    · 18 claims from 4 publishers

    Each numbered claim is a statement we checked against the sources listed with it. Tap a number in the text to see its sources in place.

    1. [1]

      On 23 January 2026 the CFP Management Committee, made up of the 10 FBS conference commissioners and Notre Dame's athletic director, kept the 12-team format for the 2026-27 season. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    2. [2]

      The CFP Selection Committee ranks the top 25 teams and assigns teams to the playoff bracket; Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek chairs it for 2026-27. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    3. [3]

      The 2027 CFP National Championship is scheduled for Monday 25 January 2027 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    4. [4]

      Indiana won the College Football Playoff national championship for the 2025 season and, as of 10 October 2026, had won 22 straight games. confirmedas of 2026-10-10

    5. [5]

      The College Football Playoff expanded from four teams to 12 for the 2024 season. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    6. [6]

      The CFP Selection Committee will release the first of six weekly rankings on 3 November 2026, and its final rankings and the 12-team bracket on Selection Day, Sunday 6 December. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    7. [7]

      From 2026-27, the CFP field is the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC champions, the highest-ranked team from the American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12 or Sun Belt, and the next seven highest-ranked teams. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    8. [8]

      In the first two years of the 12-team CFP (2024 and 2025), the five highest-ranked conference champions from any conference received the automatic bids. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    9. [9]

      Notre Dame, an independent, is included in the College Football Playoff if it is ranked in the top 12 of the final CFP rankings. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    10. [10]

      Since 2025, the four highest-ranked CFP teams are seeded 1-4 and receive first-round byes; in 2024 the byes went to the four highest-ranked conference champions. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    11. [11]

      In the CFP first round, seeds 5-12 play each other on the campus of the higher seed. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    12. [12]

      CFP quarterfinals and semifinals rotate among six bowls, the Cotton, Fiesta, Orange, Peach, Rose and Sugar Bowls. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    13. [13]

      With conference bowl tie-ins removed from 2026-27, the top three CFP seeds choose their bowl path in rank order. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    14. [14]

      The 2026-27 CFP first round is on 18-19 December 2026, the quarterfinals on 30 December (Fiesta) and 1 January (Cotton, Rose, Peach), and the semifinals on 14 January (Orange) and 15 January 2027 (Sugar). confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    15. [15]

      Alabama has won the most CFP national championships and Georgia is tied for the second most. confirmedas of 2026-10-08

    16. [16]

      Alabama beat Georgia 26-23 in overtime in the 2018 CFP National Championship, and Georgia beat Alabama 33-18 in the 2022 title game. confirmedas of 2026-10-08

    17. [17]

      The Associated Press reported in January 2026 that the SEC pushed for a 16-team playoff with an emphasis on at-large bids, while the Big Ten pushed for up to 24 teams with multiple automatic qualifiers per conference. confirmedas of 2026-01-23

    18. [18]

      On 10 October 2026 the CFP said its exclusive 30-day negotiating window with ESPN ended on 9 October, and that talks on media rights for a potential 24-team playoff were continuing. confirmedas of 2026-10-10

    Revision history (1)
    1. Page created.

    Created Oct 11, 2026. Last reviewed by an editor on Oct 11, 2026. Next scheduled review: Jan 11, 2027.

    Cite this page

    "College Football Playoff (CFP)." ContentLora, updated Oct 11, 2026. https://contentlora.com/wiki/college-football-playoff

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