College Sports | What are the matchups in the College Football Playoff? And who are the favorites? Here's what to know.
After a chaotic end to the regular season in college football, the matchups are set for the first 12-team version of the College Football Playoff. The first-round games are Dec. 20-21 on campuses before the games shift to bowl games for the quarterfinals and semifinals.
Here is what to know.
There will be 11 games between Dec. 20 and the finale Jan. 20, all broadcast nationally. The first round (times CST).
Top-seeded and unbeaten Oregon is the betting favorite, at 13-4, to win the national championship, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. The Ducks are just ahead of Georgia (7-2 odds), Texas (15-4) and Ohio State (9-2).
The rest of the odds: Penn State (7-1), Notre Dame (12-1), Tennessee (25-1), SMU (35-1), Clemson and Arizona State (40-1) and Indiana and Boise State (50-1).
A 13-member CFP selection committee spent the past six weeks evaluating the teams and then set the bracket on Dec. 8.
The five highest-ranked conference champions were guaranteed spots in the field, no matter where they are ranked overall by the CFP; Clemson, for example, is ranked No. 16 in the CFP but were given the 12th and lowest seed as the fifth-highest ranked league champion. The top four seeds get a week off and an automatic trip to the quarterfinals.
The CFP began with four teams in January 2015. It was expanded this year for the first time. Many believe it may expand again, perhaps as early as 2026.
A lot: About $115 million is on the line in the playoff.
Each conference gets $4 million for every team that makes the final 12, then another $4 million for those that make the quarterfinals. It means teams that earned byes are worth $8 million to their conferences without even playing a game.
Teams that advance to the semifinals mean $6 million more for their conference, then another $6 million for making the final.
The conferences all distribute the money differently. There's also a $300,000 stipend per team that is academically eligible for the playoffs. Teams making the playoff get $3 million to cover expenses for each round, too.