After 10 years, the era of the four-team College Football Playoff is over.
The 2024 season marks the first time the playoffs will include 12 teams; the 1st through 4th seeded teams will be the highest-ranked conference champions and will get a bye, the 5th seed will be “seeded where it was seeded or at the 12th seed if outside the top 12 seeds,” and the remaining teams will be the next highest-ranked teams.
The sentiment among some of college football's biggest stars is unanimous: It's a great decision.
“If you ask any program, their goal is to win a national championship. With the opportunity for a 12-team playoff, that broadens everyone's goal as far as trying to do that. It's a great opportunity for them to do that,” Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe told Fox News Digital in a recent interview.
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(AP Photo/Roger Steinman/File)
“It's giving a lot of teams a chance to get to that level,” Colorado superstar Travis Hunter added. “I'm excited to see what we can do to be a part of that postseason. I like it.”
Naturally, the close of the four-team era ended in controversy, as 13-0 Florida State failed to advance. Neither did Georgia, the reigning champions who had gone 42-2 over a 44-game stretch, but that second loss came in the SEC title game to No. 8 Alabama, which moved up four spots to get in.
Because of last year's playoffs, two Big Ten stars say adding eight more teams was the only way to go.
“It's fair to a certain extent. You can have a really successful season but lose one game and miss the playoffs. I don't think that's fair,” said defending national champion Donovan Edwards, who is Michigan's running back.
His rival, Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, said it “absolutely” had to happen.
“Every year there are teams that deserve those spots, but in the past there were only four, which is a little limiting. I remember in recent history, teams like FSU had an undefeated season, but they didn't have the opportunity to do it,” Egbuka said. “That's going to take that out of the equation, and having a 12-team playoff, despite what you didn't do at the beginning of the season, gives you the opportunity to prove that you really are the best team.”
(Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images/File)
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Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers shared a similar sentiment.
“Even for a smaller program that hasn't had the opportunities, that hasn't had some of the opportunities that some of the bigger programs have had, I think it'll be fantastic for those guys to get a chance, no doubt. And it leaves a little more room for error. I think that's what college football needed.”
But perhaps most exciting of all is that the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th seeded teams will each have a home playoff game.
“Having a playoff game in Death Valley would be crazy,” said LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, who also mentioned “different matchups that can be created with that” (for the record, he obviously prefers a bye week).
“You're going to have teams that play [each other] “They may never have played before and they may never play,” he added. “There are so many different possibilities that I think makes it really great for the sport.”
(David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images/File)
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First round matches will be played on 20 and 21 December, with the quarter-finals to be played on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. The semi-finals are scheduled for 9 and 10 January, with the championship to be played on 20 January, a week later than usual.
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