The Latest: College Football Playoff bracket set to be revealed

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty (2) pushes away from the arms of UNLV defensive lineman Tatuo Martinson (98) on a run in the first half of the Mountain West Championship NCAA college football game Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in Boise, Idaho. (AP Photo/Steve Conner)

The latest on the College Football Playoff’s 12-team bracket reveal (all times Eastern):

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How to watch: ESPN’s all-day coverage of CFP selections

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty (2) pushes away from the arms of UNLV defensive lineman Tatuo Martinson (98) on a run in the first half of the Mountain West Championship NCAA college football game Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, in Boise, Idaho. (AP Photo/Steve Conner)

ESPN’s selection show will begin at noon. It’ll last four hours, and that’s not anywhere close to the total coverage.

Here’s the big headline: Within the first 30 minutes or so of that show starting, you’ll know who made the 12-team field. Within the first hour, you’ll know the full CFP top 25.

There’s a two-hour pre-selection show that starts at 10 a.m. on ESPN2 and ESPNU, and then three hours of post-show dissection from 4-7 p.m., split between ESPN and ESPN2.

There will also be two-hour shows on SEC Network (starting at 6 p.m.) and ACC Network (starting at 8 p.m.) discussing all things playoffs and bowls from those conferences. And back on ESPN starting at 8:30 p.m., there’s another 2-1/2 hour show discussing all the day’s selections.

And if all that still wasn’t enough, ESPN is planning digital shows at 1 p.m. (selection reaction) and 3 p.m. (the championship picture) on its College Football YouTube channel and Facebook page.

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How does CFP seeding work?

It’s a 12-team field for the College Football Playoff. That doesn’t mean the top 12 teams in Sunday’s final rankings will get into the field. In fact, that probably won’t happen.

The five highest-ranked conference champions are guaranteed spots in the field, and the next seven highest-ranked teams also get in. That means if one or more of the highest-ranked conference champions are ranked lower than No. 12, some of the teams in the top 12 will get bumped from the tournament.

The expectation this year is that the Big 12 winner won’t be ranked in the top 12, so the No. 12 team – it was Miami in the most recent ranking – would be out of the tournament.

Another nuance: the four top-ranked conference champions will have the top four seeds. That means Boise State (which almost certainly won’t crack the top 4) will be seeded no worse than No. 4. And Notre Dame, since it isn’t in a conference, can’t be seeded higher than No. 5.

Seeds 1, 2, 3 and 4 get first-round byes. Seeds 5-12 will play first-round games with 5-8 hosting. There is no reseeding; the bracket will be set Sunday afternoon. The No. 1 seed will play the 8 vs. 9 winner, the No. 2 seed will play the 7 vs. 10 winner, the No. 3 seed will play the 6 vs. 11 winner and the No. 4 seed will play the 5 vs. 12 winner.

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When are the playoff games?

The College Football Playoff starts Dec. 20 and ends Jan. 20. There will be 11 games, all broadcast nationally.

Here’s how it’ll work:

First-round games

-Friday, Dec. 20: Game at 8 p.m. (ABC/ESPN)

-Saturday, Dec. 21: Games at noon (TNT), 4 p.m. (TNT) and 8 p.m. (ABC/ESPN)

Quarterfinals

-Dec. 31: Fiesta Bowl, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)

-Jan. 1: Peach Bowl, 1 p.m. (ESPN)

-Jan. 1: Rose Bowl, 5 p.m. (ESPN)

-Jan. 1: Sugar Bowl, 8:45 p.m. (ESPN)