The opening round of 2024 College Football Playoffs The official launch will take place in a week.

No. 7 seeds Notre Dame (11-1) hosts the No. 10 seed Indiana (11-1) opens the first round of the first-ever 12-team playoff, beginning December 20 at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN.

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The other three first-round playoff games begin Saturday, December 21st with the sixth seed Penn State (11-2) hosts the number 11 SMU (11-2) at 12 p.m. ET on TNT/MAX; followed by No. 5 seeds Texas (11-2) hosts the 12th-seeded team Clemson (10-3) at 4 p.m. ET on TNT/MAX; with No. 8 seeds Ohio State (10-2) vs. No. 9 Tennessee (10-2) in Columbus at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN/ABC.

In the meantime, before these games began, CBS Sports took the time to evaluate each of the twelve head coaches involved in the College Football Playoff. Check it out below:

As one of only two current NCAA head coaches with a national championship under their belt and winning the CFP in two of the last three years, Smart rightly takes the No. 1 spot. CBS specifically noted Smart’s long playoff history, as he has appeared in three national championship games since 2018, including winning two titles in 2022 and 2023.

CBS Sports also pointed out that this year’s coaching performance could be Smart’s best in 2024 after he navigated a difficult schedule that included road trips to Austin and Tuscaloosa before rebounding with a 22-19 overtime win secured the program’s 15th SEC championship over Texas.

CBS gives the No. 2 spot to Lanning, who led the Ducks (13-0) to college football’s only undefeated season in the program’s inaugural season in the Big Ten in 2024, including winning the conference championship with a 45-37 victory over Penn State.

Lanning has gone 35-5 overall in three seasons as head coach in Eugene and has deftly navigated the modern era of college football by leveraging both elite high school recruiting and the transfer portal to great success. This continued this season, securing first place in the overall playoff standings.

Swinney, of course, is the only other current NCAA coach to have a national championship under his belt after defeating his alma mater. Alabamato capture the 2017 and 2019 titles. Swinney also leads the way with six CFP appearances since 2015, making him the winningest CFP coach in the field.

CBS also noted Clemson’s emergence as a national superpower despite largely avoiding the transfer portal. But the Tigers’ ability to bounce back from an early-season 34-3 loss to Georgia last week to win the ACC Championship deserves major credit.

The Buckeyes head coach comes in at No. 4 primarily because of his overall record, including a 66-10 record in Columbus and four total playoff appearances.

On the other hand, CBS admits that Ohio State has “fallen short” in recent years, including four straight losses to its bitter rival Michigan in The Game, but Day’s consistency overall cannot be denied.

Sarkisian comes in at No. 5, thanks in large part to his ability to finally turn the Longhorns into real national championship contenders again after more than a decade of mediocrity. That includes winning the Big 12 championship last year and playing in the SEC championship game in his first season.

CBS cited Sarkisian’s new status as a “program builder” in his fourth season in Austin, as well as his elite recruiting skills at both the high school level and in the transfer portal, to crack the top five.

The first-year Hoosiers head coach lands in the top half of the CBS slate after his “transformational season” in Bloomington, where he led Indiana to 10 straight wins to open 2024 before falling 38-15 to Ohio State in Columbus.

CBS acknowledged Cignetti’s ability to completely transform Indiana’s roster in one offseason, pointing to the Hoosiers’ FBS-best winning margin of +344 points, which surprised even the oddsmakers in Las Vegas this season.

The perennial bridesmaid, which failed to make the four-team playoffs, eventually found its way into the expanded field this season as the Big Ten’s runner-up.

CBS cited Franklin’s impressive 99-41 record at the helm of the Nittany Lions, including three straight seasons of double-digit wins that put him near the back half of the field.

Freeman continued to increase his profile during his time as Notre Dame’s head coach, improving the Irish’s win total in each of his three seasons at the helm. That includes finishing the 2024 regular season with a 10-game winning streak and an overall record of 30-9 in South Bend.

CBS has made it clear that Freeman can continue to improve his standing among his coaching colleagues by maintaining the momentum and having a strong performance in the playoffs.

Heupel, another up-and-coming coach who made the playoffs, improved on his breakout 2023 season by skillfully weaving his way through a difficult SEC schedule in his fourth season at Tennessee.

That included winning its second rivalry game on the third Saturday in October in Knoxville, a feat not seen since 2004 and 2006. If the Volunteers upset Ohio State in Columbus next Saturday, Heupel will see his coaching star continue to rise.

Lashlee’s Mustangs became college football’s Cinderella team, winning nine straight before falling to Clemson in the ACC Championship game last Saturday, securing his spot as the 2024 ACC Coach of the Year.

CBS pointed to Lashlee’s ability to “identify talent and build a roster” – handing the keys to the star QB Kevin Jennings – This proved that SMU was capable of making the jump from the AAC to the ACC and remaining undefeated in league play this season.

The Sun Devils’ first-year head coach cracks the list at No. 11 after proving all the doubters wrong and winning the Big 12 Championship after Arizona State was picked last in the preseason poll.

Dillingham did all of this despite multiple injuries at the quarterback position and transformed himself into a strong ground-and-pound team led by the fan-favorite RB Cam Skattebo (1,568 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns).

The final coach in the CBS rankings is another first-year head coach who just won his second straight Mountain West championship after taking over in 2023 following a midseason coaching change.

Danielson and Boise State were doubted all season, but that didn’t stop the Broncos from rattling off 11 straight wins and ending the regular season with a 37-34 loss at No. 1 Oregon in September.