The 12-team playoff bracket will be unveiled by the College Football Playoffs selection committee on Sunday morning, following an exciting weekend of college football conference titles.
ESPN will air the selection program on Sunday at 9 a.m. PT. There is still a lot of suspense even if the results from the previous weekend provided numerous hints about how the bracket and matchups will unfold.
For real-time updates while the CFP selection show progresses, click this link.
REAL-TIME UPDATES
The Buckeyes will take on Tennessee (10-2) at No. 9, while Ohio State (10-2) is the No. 8 seed. In the quarterfinals, the victor will face Oregon.
Notre Dame (11-1) is the seventh seed, and the Fighting Irish will take against Indiana (11-1) as the tenth seed. In the quarterfinals, the victor will take on Georgia.
The Nittany Lions will play the No. 11 seed, while Penn State (11-2) is the No. 6 seed. The No. 11 seed is not yet revealed by the show.
The Longhorns will take against No. 12 seed Clemson (10-3), while Texas (11-2) is the No. 5 seed. In the quarterfinals, the victor will take on Arizona State.
As the fifth-ranked team to win its conference title, Clemson enters the playoffs as the 12th team, ranked 16th by the selection committee.
At last, the bracket is being revealed. At 13-0, Oregon is the top seed. No. 2 seed Georgia (11-2), No. 3 seed Boise State (12-1), ranked ninth, and No. 4 seed Arizona State (11-2), rated 12th, also received first-round byes, joining the Ducks.
The parameters of the 12-team playoff are discussed in the show.
ESPN is cutting to different reporters across the nation before unveiling the bracket, but the selection show has already started.
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Here is what we know and believe we know before the show starts.
OUR KNOWLEDGE
The top five conference winners and the next seven highest-ranked teams will make up the 12 teams in the College Football Playoff.
The top four conference winners determined by the selection committee will receive seeds 1-4 in the bracket and advance to the playoff quarterfinals via first-round byes. Based on their rating, the remaining eight teams—including the lowest-ranked of the five conference winners—will be given seeds 5–12.
The Oregon Ducks will almost certainly receive a first-round bye and be the top seed. The victor of the first-round contest between the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds would face the Ducks in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day as the Big Ten champions.
By winning their conference titles, Georgia, Boise State, Arizona State, and Clemson have all received automatic invitations to the playoffs. However, only three of those four will receive a first-round bye, joining Oregon.
The No. 5 seed will host the No. 12 seed, the No. 6 will host the No. 11, the No. 7 will host the No. 10, and the No. 8 will host the No. 9. The first-round matches will take place on campus on December 20 and 21.
The teams who won byes will then play the first-round winners in the quarterfinals. On December 31, the Fiesta Bowl will take place, and on January 1, the Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl, and Sugar Bowl will follow.
The victors of the quarterfinals will move on to the semifinals, which will take place at the Cotton Bowl on January 10 and the Orange Bowl on January 9.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta will host the national championship game on January 20th, where the semifinal winners will square off.
WHAT WE CONSIDER TO BE KNOWN
Big Ten champion Oregon (13-0), SEC champion Georgia (11-2), Mountain West champion Boise State (12-1) and Big 12 champion Arizona State (11-2) are probably the top four seeds. Clemson (10-3) the ACC champion is probably going to be seeded 11th or 12th.
Texas, Penn State, Notre Dame, and either Ohio State or Tennessee will probably host in the first round.
Ohio State or Tennessee will probably be the first-round visitors, followed by Indiana, Clemson, and either Alabama or SMU.
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