The 12-team College Football Playoff changes the way we do bowl projections.
It is more challenging than ever, but Sporting News took a first crack at projecting the 12-team College Football Playoff field – and the 35 other bowls that will be played during the 2024-25 college football season.
Who will play in that first CFP championship game of the 12-team era? Most publications will go with Georgia and Ohio State in that spot. The Bulldogs are a composite No. 1 across eight major publications, and the Buckeyes return a loaded roster in 2024 that was bolstered by transfers Will Howard, Quinshon Judkins and Caleb Downs.
How much will change with the new setup? These projections will alter throughout the season. Remember, bowl tie-ins and matchups often get tossed once the final matchups are set.
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The first round of the new CFP will have one game on Friday, Dec. 20, and three on Saturday, Dec. 21. The quarterfinals will be played at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl (Dec. 31), Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl (Jan. 1), Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential (Jan. 1) and Allstate Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1).
The semifinals will be played at the Capital One Orange Bowl (Jan. 9) and Cotton Bowl Classic (Jan. 10). The CFP national championship is Jan. 20 in Atlanta.
SN has projections for every bowl game here, and they will be updated throughout the season:
MORE: SN's preseason Top 25 for 2024
College football bowl predictions 2024
There are 35 bowls involving FBS teams outside the College Football Playoff this season. A look at those matchups.
| DATE | BOWL | MATCHUP |
| Dec. 14 | Camellia Bowl | Georgia Southern vs. Miami, Ohio |
| Dec. 17 | Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl | Coastal Carolina vs. Jacksonville State |
| Dec. 18 | Boca Raton Bowl | Texas State vs. South Florida |
| Dec. 18 | LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk | Boise State vs. Oregon State |
| Dec. 19 | R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl | Appalachian State vs. Western Kentucky |
| Dec. 20 | Staffdna Cure Bowl | James Madison vs. Middle Tennessee State |
| Dec. 20 | Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl | Wake Forest vs. Tulane |
| Dec. 23 | Myrtle Beach Bowl | South Alabama vs. UAB |
| Dec. 23 | Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | San Diego State vs. Bowling Green |
| Dec. 24 | Hawa'i Bowl | UNLV vs. Louisiana Tech |
| Dec. 26 | Detroit Bowl | Ohio vs. Michigan State |
| Dec. 26 | Guaranteed Rate Bowl | Rutgers vs. West Virginia |
| Dec. 26 | 68 Ventures Bowl | Troy vs. Western Michigan |
| Dec. 27 | Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl | UCF vs. UTSA |
| Dec. 27 | Birmingham Bowl | Syracuse vs. Auburn |
| Dec. 27 | Autozone Liberty Bowl | Oklahoma State vs. Kentucky |
| Dec. 27 | SDS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl | TCU vs. Florida |
| Dec. 28 | Wasabi Fenway Bowl | Georgia Tech vs. Rice |
| Dec. 28 | Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl | Louisville vs. Maryland |
| Dec. 28 | Isleta New Mexico Bowl | Air Force vs. Northern Illinois |
| Dec. 28 | Pop-Tarts Bowl | Virginia Tech vs. Arizona |
| Dec. 28 | Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & Juice | Fresno State vs. Toledo |
| Dec. 28 | Go Bowling Military Bowl | SMU vs. Army |
| Dec. 28 | Valero Alamo Bowl | Kansas State vs. USC |
| Dec. 28 | Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl | Iowa State vs. Washington State |
| Dec. 30 | Transperfect Music City Bowl | Wisconsin vs. Tennessee |
| Dec. 31 | Reliaquest Bowl | Nebraska vs. Texas A&M |
| Dec. 31 | Tony The Tiger Sun Bowl | NC State vs. Colorado |
| Dec. 31 | Cheez-It Citrus Bowl | Penn State vs. LSU |
| Dec. 31 | Texas Bowl | Kansas vs. Missouri |
| Jan. 2 | Taxslayer Gator Bowl | North Carolina vs. Oklahoma |
| Jan. 3 | Servpro First Responder Bowl | Navy vs. Texas Tech |
| Jan. 3 | Duke's Mayo Bowl | Miami vs. Iowa |
| Jan. 4 | Bahamas Bowl | Eastern Michigan vs. Liberty |
| TBD | DirecTV Holiday Bowl | Pitt vs. Washington |
College Football Playoff first-round predictions
A look at the four College Football Playoff first-round matchups for the 2024-25 season. Those first-round games will be played on campus:
| DATE | BOWL | MATCHUP |
| Dec. 20 | First-Round CFP game | No. 9 Clemson at No. 8 Alabama |
| Dec. 21 | First-Round CFP game | No. 12 Memphis at No. 5 Texas |
| Dec. 21 | First-Round CFP game | No. 10 Ole Miss at No. 7 Oregon |
| Dec. 21 | First-Round CFP game | No. 11 Michigan at No. 6 Notre Dame |
Alabama and Clemson – which met in the four-team CFP era four times – fittingly start the 12-team CFP era in a battle of at-large teams. Dabo Swinney has to go to Tuscaloosa for that one. Memphis is the best bet to get the fifth automatic bid out of the American Athletic Conference. Oregon and Ole Miss would be a shootout, and the classic matchup between Notre Dame and Michigan – who holds off Penn State for a CFP berth – closes the first weekend.
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College Football Playoff quarterfinal predictions
A look at the College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchups for the 2024-25 season. Those games will be played at the traditional New Year's Day Six bowl sites:
| DATE | BOWL | MATCHUP |
| Dec. 31 | Vrbo Fiesta Bowl (quarterfinal) | No. 3 Utah vs. No. 6 Notre Dame |
| Jan. 1 | Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl (quarterfinal) | No. 4 Florida State vs. No. 5 Texas |
| Jan. 1 | Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential (quarterfinal) | No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 7 Oregon |
| Jan. 1 | Allstate Sugar Bowl (quarterfinal) | No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 8 Alabama |
Georgia, Ohio State, Utah and Florida State earn first-round byes by virtue of winning their respective Power 4 conferences. The Bulldogs get a second matchup with the Crimson Tide, and the Buckeyes and Ducks could meet for a third time in this situation. There would be more pressure on Florida State and Utah – the ACC and Big 12 champions – against at-large teams, especially if they are from the SEC and Big Ten.
College Football Playoff semifinal predictions
A look at the College Football Playoff semifinal matchups for the 2024-25 season. Those games will be played at the traditional New Year's Day Six bowl sites:
| DATE | BOWL | MATCHUP |
| Jan. 9 | Capital One Orange Bowl (semifinal) | No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 5 Texas |
| Jan. 10 | Cotton Bowl Classic (semifinal) | No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 6 Notre Dame |
Again, rematches will be a factor. Imagine if Georgia really does have to go through second (and possibly third) games with Alabama and Texas again just to get to a championship game. That is a potential flaw in this process. Ohio State and Notre Dame meet in a rematch of last year's 17-14 slugfest in South Bend.
College Football Playoff championship pick
A look at the College Football Playoff championship matchup for the 2024-25 season. That game is scheduled for Jan. 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
| DATE | BOWL | MATCHUP |
| Jan. 20 | CFP National championship | No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 2 Ohio State |
Georgia beat Ohio State 42-41 on Dec. 31, 2022 in a College Football Playoff semifinal at the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl – a matchup the Buckeyes easily could have won. These are the two most-talented rosters in the FBS – the ones built to get through the extra playoff game. Will either team be unbeaten in this spot? Will this set the tone for continual No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchups in the future?