Conference championship weekend is upon us, marking the final chance for teams to show why they deserve to be in the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff.

So when will we know who is in and who is out? All will be announced on Sunday, December 8th at 12pm ET on ESPN.

On selection day, not only are the 12 playoff teams determined, but the remaining college football bowl games are also announced.

Read on for the latest College Football Playoff rankings as of Tuesday, Dec. 3, as well as a brief history of the CFP and how the 12-team playoffs work.

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Latest College Football Playoff Rankings (December 3)

1. Oregon (12-0)
2. Texas (11-1)
3. Penn State (11-1)
4. Notre Dame (11-1)
5. Georgia (10-2)
6. Ohio State (10-2)
7. Tennessee (10-2)
8. SMU (11-1)
9. Indiana (11-1)
10. Boise State (11-1)
11. Alabama (9-3)
12. Miami (10-2)
13. Ole Miss (9-3)
14. South Carolina (9-3)
15. Arizona State (10-2)
16. Iowa State (10-2)
17. Clemson (9-3)
18. BYU (10-2)
19. Missouri (9-3)
20. UNLV (10-2)
21. Illinois (9-3)
22. Syracuse (9-3)
23. Colorado (9-3)
24. Army (10-1)
25. Memphis (10-2)

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History of the College Football Playoff

The College Football Playoff (CFP) began in 2014, replacing the Bowl Championship Series (BCS).

The CFP was originally a four-team playoff through 2023, with two semifinals and a championship game. After years of discussion and planning, the CFP has expanded to 12 teams starting this season. The original playoff agreement expires after the 2025 season, meaning the CFP could expand again (perhaps to a 14- or 16-team format) as early as 2026.

Since the CFP’s inception, ten national champions have been crowned:

• 2014: Ohio State
• 2015: Alabama
• 2016: Clemson
• 2017: Alabama
• 2018: Clemson
• 2019: LSU
• 2020: Alabama
• 2021: Georgia
• 2022: Georgia
• 2023: Michigan

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Here’s how the 12-team playoff works

The 12-team playoff is a little more complicated than its four-team predecessor, so let’s take a look at how it will work.

Previously, the four-team playoffs that determined the national champion from 2014 to 2023 simply pitted the top four teams in the country against each other in two semifinal games, alternating between New Year’s Six bowls. No. 1 faced No. 4 and No. 2 faced No. 3. The winner of each semifinal advanced to the national championship game.

With the expansion to 12 teams guaranteed for at least the 2024 and 2025 seasons (further expansion could occur as early as 2026), playoff participation and a team’s positioning in the playoffs is about more than just placement in the top four rankings.

This is how the 12 teams are selected:

1. Guaranteed bids. The top five conference champions in the CFP rankings will receive guaranteed bids. Note: No conference is guaranteed an automatic bid, and a conference must have at least eight members for its champion to be eligible for a guaranteed bid.

2. General Commandments. After the top five conference champions, the top seven remaining teams will be selected. Note: This could include other conference champions.

Also new for the 12-team playoffs? Byes and first-round games on college campuses.

Yes, you read that correctly. The top four ranked conference champions will receive first-round byes. The remaining teams play each other in the first round at the home field of the better seeded team or an alternative venue if the higher ranked team requests it.

The first round matches will feature:

• No. 5 vs. No. 12
• No. 6 vs. No. 11
• No. 7 vs. No. 10
• No. 8 vs. No. 9.

The teams that had a bye in the first round will then face the winners of the first round as follows:

• #1 Conf. Champion vs. Winner of #8/9
• No. 2 Conf. Champion vs. Winner of No. 7/10
• #3 Conf. Champion vs. Winner of #6/11
• #4 Conf. Champion vs. Winner of #5/12

The New Year’s Six Bowls will continue to host the semifinals Andnow, the quarterfinals. The championship game will continue to be played at a separately designated neutral site, with the 2024 season champion to be determined on January 20, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

If the 12-team playoffs were decided by Tuesday’s rankings, Oregon, Texas, SMU and Boise State would receive first-round byes. In the first round, Arizona State would play Penn State (winner would play Boise State), Tennessee would play Ohio State (winner would play Oregon), Alabama would play Notre Dame (winner would play SMU), and Indiana would play in Georgia (winner would play in Texas). (Note: This assumes that higher ranked teams elect to play on their home field.)

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Complete 2025 College Football Playoff schedule

Always east

First round (December 20-21)

• Friday, December 20th at 8 p.m. | ABC/ESPN
• Saturday, December 21st at 12pm | TNT
• Saturday, December 21st at 4 p.m. | TNT
• Saturday December 21st at 8pm | ABC/ESPN

Quarterfinals (December 31st – January 1st)

• Fiesta Bowl: Tuesday, December 31st at 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
• Peach Bowl: Wednesday, January 1 at 1 p.m. | ESPN
• Rose Bowl: Wednesday, January 1 at 5 p.m. | ESPN
• Sugar Bowl: Wednesday, January 1 at 8:45 p.m. | ESPN

Semi-finals (January 9-10)

• Orange Bowl: Thursday, January 9th at 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
• Cotton Bowl: Friday, January 10 at 7:30 p.m. | ESPN

CFP National Championship

• Monday, January 20 at 7:30 p.m. | Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia | ESPN