HOUSTON — SMU captured the last open spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff on Sunday, bumping Alabama out of the first 12-team bracket that placed undefeated Oregon at No. 1.
The selection committee preferred the Mustangs (11-2), losers of a heartbreaker in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game, who had a far less difficult schedule than Alabama (9-3) of the SEC but, ultimately, still one fewer loss.
The expanded bracket marks a new era for college football, though the Alabama-SMU debate made clear that there is no perfect formula for identifying a champion.
The tournament starts Dec. 20-21 with four first-round games involving teams seeded 5-12. It concludes Jan. 20 with the national title game in Atlanta.
Below is a little about how the CFP will work now that it's been expanded to a 12-team field.
How the College Football Playoffs will work
The five highest-ranked conference champions are automatically in the College Football Playoff. The seven highest-ranked teams remaining will fill out the bracket of 12.
The top four teams will get a bye in the first round of the playoff. Of the remaining teams, the higher-ranked teams in each matchup will host the first-round games. Here is how those first-round matchups line up.
Games played Dec. 20 and Dec. 21
- Clemson at Texas on Dec. 21 at 3 p.m. Central Time
- SMU at Penn State on Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. Central Time
- Indiana at Notre Dame on Dec. 21 at 11 a.m. Central Time
- Tennessee vs. Ohio State at Dec. 20 at 7 p.m. Central time
Once those games are over, there will be eight teams remaining. The next round – the quarterfinals – will be played in bowls with a rotating schedule.
Quarterfinals played Dec. 31 and Jan. 1
- Winner of Clemson-Texas vs Arizona State in Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31
- Winner of Tennessee-Ohio State vs. Oregon in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1
- Winner of SMU-Penn State vs. Boise State in the Peach Bowl on Jan. 1
- Winner of Indiana-Notre Dame vs. Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1
Then the semifinal round, which will include the four teams remaining, will be played at the Capital One Orange Bowl (Jan. 1) and the Goodyear Cotton Bowl (Jan. 10).
The national title game will be in Atlanta on Jan. 20.
Georgia, Boise State and Arizona State join Oregon with first-round byes
Georgia, the SEC champion, was seeded second; Boise State, the Mountain West champion, earned the third seed; and Big 12 titlist Arizona State got the fourth seed and the fourth and final first-round bye.
All will play in quarterfinals at bowl games on Dec. 31-Jan. 1.
Clemson stole a bid and the 12th seed with its crazy win over SMU -- the result that ultimately cost Alabama a spot in the field. The Tigers moved to No. 16 in the rankings, but got in as the fifth-best conference winner.
Texas, Penn St, Notre Dame and Ohio St get home field in first round
There was some tension around how the rest of the teams were seeded because that determined who gets home-field advantage in the first round. The games are No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas; No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State; No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame; and No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State.
Seedings
- Oregon gets No. 1 seed and will get bye
- Georgia gets No. 2 seed and will get bye
- Boise State gets No. 3 seed and will get bye
- Arizona State gets No. 4 seed and will get a bye
- Texas gets No. 5 seed and will host Clemson in the first round
- Penn State gets No. 6 seed and will host SMU in the first round
- Notre Dame gets No. 7 seed and will host Indiana in the first round
- Ohio State gets No. 8 seed and will host Tennessee in the first round
- Tennessee gets the No. 9 seed and will play at Ohio State in the first round
- Indiana gets the No. 10 seed and will play at Notre Dame in the first round
- SMU gets the No. 11 seed and will play at Penn State in the first round
- Clemson gets No. 12 seed, the lowest seed in the tournament in the first round
