NCAA FOOTBALL
Does college football have playoffs? When are they and how do they work?
The top four teams in NCAA football will face off in the CFP semifinals on New Year’s Day with the final set for January 8 in Houston, Texas.
As college football comes to its conclusion, we prepare for the College Football Playoff (CFP). The top four teams will compete to decide the national champion within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The top four teams this year who will play in the semifinals are:
- No. 1 Michigan
- No. 2 Washington
- No. 3 Texas
- No. 4 Alabama
The New Year’s Six
The top four teams were determined by a selection committee. Then, there is also something called the New Year’s Six (or NY6), which are six bowl games: the Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Peach Bowl, and Fiesta Bowl. These top-tier bowl games are played every year on or around New Year’s Day. Two of these bowl games represent the CFP semifinals on a three-year rotating basis - this year, it’s the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl hosting the semifinals.
The top four teams will play in those two bowl games and the rest will be considered non-playoff bowl games, called Selection Committee bowl games, played by the rest of the top 12 teams.
When the CFP expands to 12 teams next year, the NY6 will host both the quarterfinals and semifinals rounds.
New Year’s Six full schedule:
| Date | Time | Teams | Game |
| Friday, December 29 | 8 p.m. ET | No. 9 Missouri vs. No. 7 Ohio State | Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic |
| Saturday, December 30 | 12 p.m. ET | No. 11 Ole Miss vs. No. 10 Penn State | Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl |
|
Saturday, December 30 |
4 p.m. ET | No. 6 Georgia vs. No. 5 Florida State | Capital One Orange Bowl |
| Monday, January 1 | 1 p.m. ET | No. 23 Liberty vs. No. 8 Oregon State Farm Stadium |
Vrbo Fiesta Bowl |
CFP Schedule
The CFP semifinals will be played on New Year’s Day, Monday, January 1, 2024. The title game will be played one week later on Monday, January 8. Here is the complete schedule:
|
Date |
Time | Teams | GAME |
| Monday, January 1 | 5:00 p.m. ET | No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Alabama | Rose Bowl (CFP Semifinal) |
| Monday, January 1 | 8:45 p.m. ET | No. 2 Washington vs. No. 3 Texas | Sugar Bowl (CFP Semifinal) |
| Monday, January 8 | 7:30 p.m. ET | Winners of Semifinals will play each other | CFP National Championship Game (Houston, Texas) |