The new 12-team College Football Playoff is here, featuring a first-of-its-kind playoff format where 12 top college football teams will battle for the national championship trophy to be lifted on Jan. 20 at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. A notable addition this season is the introduction of first-round games held on campuses. Action kicks off with No. 7 seed Notre Dame facing No. 10 seed Indiana at Notre Dame Stadium, followed by a triple-header on Saturday, including No. 6 Penn State versus No. 11 SMU at Beaver Stadium, No. 5 Texas taking on No. 12 Clemson at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium, and No. 8 Ohio State hosting No. 9 Tennessee at Ohio Stadium.
The winners of these games will progress to the CFP quarterfinals at New Year’s Six bowls to face the top four seeds. Subsequently, the victors will compete in the Orange and Cotton Bowl semifinals before advancing to the 2025 CFP national championship game. A question arises regarding whether the results of these games will contribute to the teams’ bowl game records. According to the NCAA, the first-round games will be factored into the overall postseason records of the participating schools, aligning with the policy established in 2002 to include bowl game stats in official team and player records.
In response to inquiries, some schools indicated that their first-round games are unlikely to be classified as bowl games. Notre Dame, Tennessee, and Ohio State are among those considering the creation of a comprehensive “postseason record” to encompass the expanded CFP format. This record is likely to consist of two sub-categories: a bowl record and a playoff record that includes CFP first-round games. The schools plan to count bowl games played in the quarterfinals and semifinals toward both records.
In the upcoming College Football Playoff (CFP) season, the question of whether first-round games will count towards teams’ bowl game records has sparked discussions among athletics departments and officials. With the CFP expanding to include 12 teams for the first time, the addition of first-round games on campuses without bowl game ties or affiliations has raised some uncertainty.
Ohio State’s bowl game record could potentially be impacted by the outcome of their semifinal games, as reported by Tennessee’s Bill Martin, associate AD of football communications. Martin deferred the official ruling to the NCAA, highlighting that the Volunteers’ upcoming game against Ohio State may not necessarily be classified as a ‘bowl appearance’. On the other hand, Ross Taylor, associate AD of football communication at Clemson, also deferred to the NCAA but indicated that the team is preliminarily considering counting their CFP first-round game towards their records. This decision is influenced by the NCAA’s past inclusion of all College Football Playoff contests in official bowl records, irrespective of branding.
In a similar vein, Texas’ John Bianco, senior associate AD for football communication, revealed that the Longhorns’ athletics department plans to address the matter post-season. However, responses from Penn State, Indiana, and SMU were not received by the USA TODAY Network prior to the publication of the article.
The expansion of the College Football Playoff field to 12 teams has introduced first-round games in the CFP structure for the first time. Unlike the quarterfinal and semifinal matchups, these first-round games do not have direct affiliations with traditional bowl games. Instead, they are hosted on the campuses of the four highest at-large teams, emphasizing the competitive nature of the initial round.
The CFP’s decision to include first-round games on campuses aims to enhance the excitement and inclusivity of the playoff format, providing more teams with the opportunity to compete for the national championship. While these matchups do not have direct ties to established bowl games, they are still organized and overseen by the College Football Playoff organization rather than the home teams.
The forthcoming 2024-25 College Football Playoff will feature a set of intriguing first-round matchups, each offering its unique storyline and potential upsets. The matchups scheduled for this season include:
– No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame on Friday, Dec. 20
– No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State on Saturday, Dec. 21
– No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas on Saturday, Dec. 21
– No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State on Saturday, Dec. 21
As college football enthusiasts gear up for the excitement of the first-round games, the question of how these matchups will impact teams’ bowl game records remains at the forefront of discussions within the collegiate athletics community.
