The College Football Playoff bracket was finalized Sunday, setting the stage for the first year of a 12-team postseason that will eventually crown a national champion January 20 in Atlanta.
After an intense Saturday that saw No. 1 Oregon solidify its top ranking with a victory over Penn State in the Big Ten Championship game, and losses by then-No. 2 Texas and then No. 8 SMU in their respective title games, the playoffs will kick off with first round games December 20-21 across ABC/ESPN and TNT/Max.
SMU’s loss against Clemson in the ACC title game presented the most debatable scenario of the bracket, as the CFP selection committee had perennial title contender Alabama (as well as the University of Miami) looking on the outside entering the weekend. Eventually, the Crimson Tide, which has won three of the past 10 national titles, was deemed not to have enough to advance to the final 12.
Three teams from the West — Oregon, Arizona State and Boise State, conference champs all — received first-round byes, as did Georgia after knocking off Texas in the SEC title game Saturday. They will play first-round winners in quarterfinal games December 31-January 1, with the semifinals January 9-10. All games after the first round will be played on ABC or ESPN.
The title game is 7:30 p.m. ET on January 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, airing on ESPN.
Here is the full lineup of CFP games and networks:
First Round
Friday, December 20
No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame, 8 p.m. ET (ABC/ESPN)
Announcing team: Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy, Molly McGrath
Saturday, December 21
No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State, noon ET, (TNT/Max)
Announcing team: Mark Jones, Roddy Jones, Quint Kessenich
No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas, 4 p.m. ET (TNT/Max)
Announcing team: Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek, Taylor McGregor
No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State, 8 p.m. ET (ABC/ESPN)
Announcing team: Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe
Quarterfinals
Tuesday, December 31
Fiesta Bowl: No. 3 Boise State vs. Penn State-SMU winner, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC/ESPN)
Announcing team: Bob Wischusen, Louis Riddick, Kris Budden
Wednesday, January 1
Peach Bowl: No. 4 Arizona State vs. Texas-Clemson winner, 1 p.m. ET (ABC/ESPN)
Announcing team: Joe Tessitore, Jesse Palmer, Katie George
Rose Bowl: No. 1 Oregon vs. Ohio State-Tennessee winner, 5 p.m. (ABC/ESPN)
Announcing team: Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe
Sugar Bowl: No. 2 Georgia vs. Notre Dame-Indiana winner, 8:45 p.m. ET (ABC/ESPN)
Announcing team: Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy, Molly McGrath
Semifinals
Thursday, January 9
Orange Bowl: Sugar Bowl winner vs. Fiesta Bowl winner, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Announcing team TBA
Friday, January 10
Cotton Bowl: Rose Bowl winner vs. Peach Bowl winner, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Announcing team TBA
CFP National Championship
Monday, January 20
Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Announcing team: Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe, Molly McGrath
English (US) ·