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CFP Quarterfinal bowl determination question

djm_psu_alum

Well-Known Member
Nov 30, 2016
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I might be answering my own question but here goes anyway...

I know in the 4-team playoff set-up, the #1 seed chose which of the 2 semi-final bowls to play the #4 seed, leaving the other bowl as the #2-#3 setup.

For the 12 team playoff, is it safe to assume this is what will happen? In the case of this season, #1 chooses between Rose, Fiesta, Peach, and Sugar and then #2 chooses from remaining 3 bowls, and #3 picks from the 2 left over.

If this is the case, if Oregon stays at #1, it seems fair to assume they would choose the Rose Bowl for obvious geographic reasons and maybe slightly to maintain that B10 tradition. But if it were Penn State or another B10 school, would they do the same or maybe pick the Peach as the closest site? I guess you'd have to consider your possible matchups as well since the Peach might be closer to the bulk of east coast & midwest alumni/fans but if a possible matchup was vs an SEC or ACC team would you do that?

With the Peach, Orange, and Sugar in SEC (and ACC--except for the Sugar) territory, it does give that conference a consistent geographic advantage. The Rose Bowl will only ever be a quarterfinal site because of their refusal to move off of the Jan 1 date so the other 5 will rotate between quarterfinals and semifinals.

I realize these bowl sites will be considered "neutral" but with the expanded playoff format, some fans are just not going to attend 2-4 games within a 6 week period so geography may turn these into away games for some higher seeds. It will be interesting to see how all this plays out.
 
I might be answering my own question but here goes anyway...

I know in the 4-team playoff set-up, the #1 seed chose which of the 2 semi-final bowls to play the #4 seed, leaving the other bowl as the #2-#3 setup.

For the 12 team playoff, is it safe to assume this is what will happen? In the case of this season, #1 chooses between Rose, Fiesta, Peach, and Sugar and then #2 chooses from remaining 3 bowls, and #3 picks from the 2 left over.

If this is the case, if Oregon stays at #1, it seems fair to assume they would choose the Rose Bowl for obvious geographic reasons and maybe slightly to maintain that B10 tradition. But if it were Penn State or another B10 school, would they do the same or maybe pick the Peach as the closest site? I guess you'd have to consider your possible matchups as well since the Peach might be closer to the bulk of east coast & midwest alumni/fans but if a possible matchup was vs an SEC or ACC team would you do that?

With the Peach, Orange, and Sugar in SEC (and ACC--except for the Sugar) territory, it does give that conference a consistent geographic advantage. The Rose Bowl will only ever be a quarterfinal site because of their refusal to move off of the Jan 1 date so the other 5 will rotate between quarterfinals and semifinals.

I realize these bowl sites will be considered "neutral" but with the expanded playoff format, some fans are just not going to attend 2-4 games within a 6 week period so geography may turn these into away games for some higher seeds. It will be interesting to see how all this plays out.
I’m not sure about the quarterfinals, but for the semis, the #1 seed doesn’t get a choice. So it would be possible for a #1 seed to be sent to Atlanta, for example, and get matched up against Georgia if the seeds worked out that way. It seems crazy to me, but then again this is CFB.

 
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I read something that indicated the #1 does not get to choose its bowl location. Instead, the closest bowl game to the university would be the location where the #1 seed gets to play. So it would be possible for a #1 seed to be sent to Atlanta, for example, and get matched up against Georgia if the seeds worked out that way. It seems crazy to me, but then again this is CFB.

In addition, there is talk that the Rose Bowl would get the Big Ten winner regardless. Obvious if it's Oregon this year that's easy but if it's Penn State or Ohio State does the Rose make more sense than Arizona, New Orleans and Atlanta? Going to be interesting how it plays out. I think the Big Ten and SEC commissioners will have a lot of pull on where the teams end up.
 
I’m not 100 percent sure…

But I thought it was bowl alliance still

So the Big Ten champ to the Rose (whether it’s #1 or #4 seed) and SEC champ to Sugar…Acc to Orange or Peach depending on year and Big 12 to Cotton or Fiesta depending on the year

So if the season ended today…
Oregon in Rose
Georgia in Sugar
Miami in Peach
BYU in Fiesta

Cotton and Orange host the semifinals on Jan 9
 
I found the below on this web site: https://collegefootballplayoff.com/sports/2024/5/29/12-team-format.aspx

  • The selection committee will assign the four highest-ranked conference champions to Playoff Quarterfinals hosted by bowls. This will be done in consideration of historic bowl relationships, then in consideration of rankings. For example, if the Sugar Bowl hosts a Playoff Quarterfinal and the SEC champion is ranked No. 1 and the Big 12 champion is ranked No. 3, the SEC champion would be assigned to the Sugar Bowl and the Big 12 champion would be assigned elsewhere.
 
I found the below on this web site: https://collegefootballplayoff.com/sports/2024/5/29/12-team-format.aspx

  • The selection committee will assign the four highest-ranked conference champions to Playoff Quarterfinals hosted by bowls. This will be done in consideration of historic bowl relationships, then in consideration of rankings. For example, if the Sugar Bowl hosts a Playoff Quarterfinal and the SEC champion is ranked No. 1 and the Big 12 champion is ranked No. 3, the SEC champion would be assigned to the Sugar Bowl and the Big 12 champion would be assigned elsewhere.
Thanks. This seems to confirm how it will go moving forward.
 
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