College football has gone through the biggest innovation the sport has seen in decades. 2014 is the first year college football will hold playoffs. The format is simple: The best four teams play, the two semifinals are played in bowl games and a championship game is played in a different city each year.
The top four teams, decided by the selection committee of 13 experienced personnel, is based on strength of schedule, results compared to other opponents, championships won, and more. This way every game during the regular season counts towards the team’s ranking.
Every FBS team has an equal chance to qualify which eliminates any powerhouse football school from automatically qualifying. This new format is designed to increase revenue for conference and independent institutions.
The two semifinal games will be held on New Year’s day. The semifinal games will rotate between the Cotton, Fiesta, Orange, Peach, Rose and Sugar bowl. The games this year will be played at the Allstate Sugar Bowl and the Rose Bowl.
The playoff foursome was announced Sunday, December 7. The Alabama Crimson Tide holds the No. 1 rank, followed by the Oregon Ducks, the Florida State Seminoles, and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
The still undefeated Seminoles will travel to Pasadena, California to play the Ducks in the Rose Bowl at 8:30 p.m. ET while the Crimson Tide and the Buckeyes will travel to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans to play at 5 p.m. ET.
No. 1 and No. 2 Oregon are both favored to win by double digits and are the most common prediction for the matchup for the College Football Playoffs championship.
The winners of both of the playoffs game will meet at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on January 12 to battle for the championship.
