Oregon, Georgia, Boise State, Arizona State top CFP seeds

Field Level Media|published: Sun 8th December, 13:02 2024

Dec 7, 2024; Arlington, TX, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) celebrates after the Sun Devils defeat the Iowa State Cyclones and win the 2024 Big 12 Championship at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Oregon is the No. 1 seed in the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff, as expected, followed by Georgia, Boise State and Arizona State.

The CFP selection committee unveiled the field of 12, with the first four spots assured of going to conference champions, on Sunday afternoon, with the discussion of who was left out of the playoff sure to go on for days.

Oregon and Georgia were ranked 1-2 in the overall field by the committee, with Boise State at No. 9 and Arizona State at No. 12. But the Broncos of the Mountain West Conference, as the highest-ranked league champion, moved to No. 3 and the Sun Devils slotted in at No. 4.

Arizona State, in its first season in the Big 12, was projected to finish last in the conference in preseason polls. The Sun Devils routed Iowa State 45-19 in the conference title game on Saturday.

Left out of the field was Alabama, which finished 9-3 and ranked No. 12 overall.

The remainder of the playoff field is filled largely with blue-blood programs. Teams finishing in the No. 5 through 12 seeds play a first-round game and the top four received a bye.

Those games, to be played on the campus of the higher seed:

--No. 5 Texas (11-2) vs. No. 12 Clemson (10-3) in Austin, Texas. The Longhorns were ranked No. 3 overall by the committee and Clemson No. 16 but made the field as champion of the Atlantic Coast Conference, beating SMU 34-31 on Saturday night. Texas lost to Georgia 22-19 in overtime in the Southeastern Conference Championship game.

--No. 6 Penn State (11-2) vs. No. 11 SMU (11-2) in University Park, Pa. The Nittany Lions were ranked No. 4 overall and the Mustangs No. 10.

--No. 7 Notre Dame (11-1) vs. No. 10 Indiana (11-1) in South Bend, Ind. The Fighting Irish were ranked No. 5 overall and the Hoosiers No. 8.

--No. 8 Ohio State (10-2) vs. No. 9 Tennessee (10-2) in Columbus, Ohio. The Buckeyes were No. 6 overall, with the Volunteers No. 7.

The winners of home-campus games will face the top four teams in bowl games still to be announced.

--Field Level Media

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