College football playoff field is set

By Anthony Collins

LPR Editor                           

   After weeks of back-and-forth debate over whether the Miami Hurricanes or the Notre Dame Fighting Irish would snag one of the final spots in the new 12-team College Football Playoff, fans finally have their answer.

    In the end, the committee leaned on the simplest metric of all: head-to-head. Miami’s Week 1 win over Notre Dame proved to be the deciding factor, sliding the Hurricanes into the bracket and leaving the Irish on the outside looking in, despite a résumé many believed was strong enough to earn inclusion.

   With the field officially locked, the top four seeds, No. 1 Indiana, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Georgia, and No. 4 Texas Tech, will enjoy first-round byes as the remaining eight teams gear up for their opening matchups. Round 1 kicks off in less than two weeks, setting the stage for the first expanded playoff in college football history.

   Below is the full slate of first-round games, along with dates and times for the quarterfinals, semifinals, and national championship.

CFP-Round 1–

Friday, Dec. 19

•No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Oklahoma, Oklahoma Memorial Stadium (Norman, Oklahoma), 8 p.m. ET on ABC, ESPN

Saturday, Dec. 20

•No. 10 Miami at No. 7 Texas A&M, Kyle Field (College Station, Texas), noon ET on ABC, ESPN

•No. 11 Tulane at No. 6 Ole Miss, Vaught-Hemingway Stadium (Oxford, Mississippi), 3:30 p.m. ET on TNT

•No. 12 James Madison at No. 5 Oregon, Autzen Stadium (Eugene, Oregon), 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT

CFP QuarterfinalsWednesday, Dec. 31 

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic

•Miami–Texas A&M winner vs. No. 2 Ohio State

AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas), 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN

Thursday, Jan. 1

Capital One Orange Bowl

• James Madison–Oregon winner vs. No. 4 Texas Tech

Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida), noon ET on ESPN

Rose Bowl

•Alabama–Oklahoma winner vs. No. 1 Indiana, Rose Bowl Stadium (Pasadena, California), 4 p.m. ET on ESPN

Allstate Sugar Bowl

•Tulane–Ole Miss winner vs. No. 3 Georgia, Caesars Superdome (New Orleans), 8 p.m. ET on ESPN

CFP Semifinals

Thursday, Jan. 8 

VRBO Fiesta Bowl

•State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Arizona), 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN

Friday, Jan. 9

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

•Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta), 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN

National Championship

Monday, Jan. 19

•Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida), 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN