Even though conference champions have recently been crowned, a new college football era is approaching.
The College Football Playoff will be beginning its first 12-team playoff picture on December, 20th.
The first round of the playoffs will be on December 20th and 21st, followed by the quarter-finals December 31st- January 1st. The semifinals will be played January 9th-10th, with the remaining two teams playing for the College Football National Championship trophy on January 20th.
The first round includes the 5th-seeded team and the 12th-seeded team playing, while the top four teams in the country have a first-round bye.
The top four teams have already punched their tickets into the quarter-finals, as number four-ranked Arizona State is set to play in the Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl on January 1st, while number one-ranked Oregon will be highlighted in the Rose Bowl. Number three-ranked Boise State will play in the Verbo Fiesta Bowl on December 31st, followed by number two-ranked Georgia will play in the Allstate Sugar Bowl on January 1st.
The remaining eight teams will play their way into the following rounds next weekend in the first round of the playoff picture.
Number 12-ranked Clemson is set to take on number five-ranked Texas on December 21st at 4 pm. The winner of this match will move on to play Arizona State in the quarter-finals.
Number nine-ranked Tennessee will play number eight-ranked Ohio State on December 21st at 8 pm. The winner will take on Oregon in the Rose Bowl.
Number eleven-ranked SMU will take on number six-ranked Penn State on December 21st, and the winner will move on to play Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl.
Finally, number ten-ranked Indiana is set to take on number seven-ranked Notre Dame on December 20th, and the winner will take on Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
When asked about the twelve-team playoff, Elise Farling, a Lower Dauphin junior, touched on how “this is a really good opportunity for the teams.”
Lower Dauphin junior Grace Lindsay also added how she “hopes Penn State can pull out the win.”
