Then there were 12.
On Sunday, the College Football Playoff selection committee unveiled the first-ever 12-team CFP bracket putting an end to much build-up and anticipation on which 12 college football teams will play for the national championship.
No. 1 Oregon was tabbed with the No. 1 overall seed fresh off its first Big Ten championship title against No. 3 Penn State. Joining the Ducks as the three other conference champions that received a first-round bye were Georgia, Boise State and Arizona State.
REQUIRED READING: Georgia, Clemson leads college football winners and losers as playoff bracket gets sorted
Clemson created chaos Saturday night in the ACC championship game vs. SMU with a career long 56-yard walk-off field goal from Nolan Hauser, claiming the fifth automatic bid. Since the Tigers were ranked the lowest conference champion, they will be the No. 12 seed and travel to No. 5 Texas in the first round — a tough draw for a Power 4 conference champion.
The remainder of the field was filled with Penn State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Indiana, Tennessee and SMU. The Mustangs beat out Alabama for the final spot in the CFP bracket, despite SMU losing to Clemson.
The first round of the College Football Playoff will take place across Friday, Dec. 20 and Saturday, Dec. 21 on the campuses of the higher-ranked at-large teams, i.e., seeds No. 5-8.
Here’s what you need to know about who made the 2024-25 College Football Playoff, including a look at the 12-team CFP bracket, first-round matchups and who was snubbed from the field:
REQUIRED READING: College Football Playoff rankings show: Live updates, predictions, how to watch
College Football Playoff bracket
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Oregon (13-0)*
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Georgia (11-2)*
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Boise State (12-1)*
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Arizona State (11-2)*
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Texas (11-2)
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Penn State (11-2)
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Notre Dame (11-1)
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Ohio State (10-2)
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Tennessee (10-2)
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Indiana (11-1)
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SMU (11-2)
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Clemson (10-3)**
* received first round bye
** received automatic qualifier as fifth-highest ranked conference champion
The top four teams of the CFP bracket is comprised of No. 1 Oregon; No. 2 Georgia; No. 3 Boise State; and No. 4 Arizona State. The fifth-highest ranked conference champion, Clemson, was slotted as the No. 12 seed, as the Tigers were ranked behind Arizona State in the final CFP top 25.
By the rule of the CFP format, the Ducks, Bulldogs, Broncos and Sun Devils will all receive first-round byes, meaning they won’t play until the quarterfinals on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day.
Here’s a breakdown of the first-round matchups
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No. 5 Texas vs. No. 12 Clemson
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No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 11 SMU
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No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 10 Indiana
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No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 9 Tennessee
College Football Playoff rankings
This section will be updated as the College Football Playoff top 25 is unveiled.
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Oregon (13-0)
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Georgia (11-2)
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Texas (11-2)
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Penn State (11-2)
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Notre Dame (11-1)
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Ohio State (10-2)
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Tennessee (10-2)
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Indiana (11-1)
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Boise State (12-1)
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SMU (11-2)
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Alabama (10-3)
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Arizona State (11-2)
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Miami (10-2)
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TBD
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TBD
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Clemson (10-3)
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TBD
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TBD
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TBD
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TBD
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TBD
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TBD
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TBD
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TBD
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TBD
CFP snubs: Who was left out of College Football Playoff?
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No. 11 Alabama
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No. 13 Miami
Alabama and Miami are the “first two teams out” in Sunday’s final CFP rankings. Miami had little to no chance of making the playoff after being slotted into the No. 12 spot in the penultimate CFP rankings, with the understanding the Big 12 champion would jump into the top 12 and push the Hurricanes out.
Alabama on the other hand had a chance to make the playoff … if SMU won the ACC title game. But with the Mustangs’ 34-31 loss to No. 17 Clemson on Saturday, the playoff selection committee elected to reward them for making the ACC title game, pushing the Crimson Tide to the first team out.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who made College Football Playoff? Bracket, top 12 teams, snubs, more
