How the College Football Playoff works

The College Football Playoff (CFP) is a post-season tournament aimed at determining a national champion for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the highest level of college football competition in the United States.

The process by which the CFP operates is based on a selection committee’s distinct set of criteria. This committee, which comprises 13 members, makes its selections based on factors such as conference championships won, overall win-loss records, strength of schedule, head-to-head results, and comparison of results against common opponents.

Critically, the playoff is comprised of two semi-final matchups and a championship game. The semi-finals are usually played in late December or early January, with the top four teams, according to the committee’s rankings, vying for a place in the final.

The teams ranked No.1 and No.4 face each other in one semi-final, while the No.2 and No.3 ranked teams compete in the other. The winners of these contests advance to the National Championship game which typically takes place a week later in early January.

Since the position of the semi-final games rotates among six different bowl games – the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, and Peach Bowl – the exact location and date of these matches can change from year to year.

The CFP system was initiated in 2014-15, replacing the BCS (Bowl Championship Series) system. The new system aimed to allow a fairer and more balanced determination of the national champion in college football by expanding the competition to four teams instead of two.

While the system has been largely praised for its fairness and increased competitiveness, it has also faced criticism for its exclusion of smaller, less-established programs from consideration. Some believe the formula heavily favors teams from the Power Five conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC).

However, one of the major selling points of the CFP system remains its capacity to offer one of the most exciting and unpredictable conclusions to any sporting season. The choice of the top four teams often sparks considerable debate, adding more suspense and anticipation to the College Football Playoff.

Source: NCAA.com