What to know ahead of Selection Day for the College Football Playoff

By Issy Ronald and Kyle Feldscher, CNN

(CNN) — After 15 weeks of thrilling action and shocking upsets, the College Football Playoff (CFP) is just about here. And it comes with added anticipation this year as, for the first time ever, 12 teams will be competing for a place in the College Football Playoff Championship Game instead of four.

On Sunday, a 13-person committee will release its final rankings, determining the field for this year’s playoffs. So, ahead of the first-of-its-kind event, here is everything you need to know.

Why is this year unique?

Previously, the CFP ran for just two rounds with four teams involved, but this year marks the first season with an expanded field allowing more teams to compete for a national championship.

In this new format, the five highest-ranked conference champions and the next seven highest-ranked teams will fill the 12 spots in the bracket. There is no limit to how many teams from one conference can qualify – and it looks as if the Big Ten and SEC will dominate the field.

The final CFP rankings will not necessarily reflect the seeding of the 12 teams in the tournament. The top four conference champions will get a first-round bye into the quarterfinal round. If a team is ranked in the top four but is not a conference champion, it will be seeded fifth and will play in two weeks in the first round of the playoffs.

Once the seeds have been set, teams can look forward to a first round game on December 20 or December 21 at the home stadiums of the highest seeds.

Who are the top four seeds?

The four highest-ranked conference champions — likely Boise State, Georgia, Oregon and Arizona State, who all won this weekend in their conference championship games — are to be the top four seeds and will each receive a first-round bye.

Boise State guaranteed its spot in the playoffs by winning a second consecutive Mountain West Conference title on Friday, defeating No. 19 UNLV 21-7 behind yet another outstanding performance from running back Ashton Jeanty. The junior is likely to be in New York next week as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, the award for college football’s best player.

He has already produced one of the best-ever single-season rushing performances and added 209 yards on Friday to take his season total to 2,497, within touching distance of the all-time FBS record.

While Boise State is not from one of the traditional football powerhouse conferences — the Southeastern, Big Ten, Big 12 and Atlantic Coast conferences – it will likely be ranked ahead of ACC champion Clemson, thus earning a first-round bye.

Georgia took down Texas in overtime in a classic SEC championship game, likely earning a first-round bye and relegating the Longhorns to playing a home game in two weeks.

Oregon did what was expected and beat Penn State in the Big Ten Championship Game, continuing their unbeaten season.

The unlikely team getting a first round bye is the Arizona State University Sun Devils, who were largely expected to finish last in their first season in the Big 12 but instead won the conference championship and will potentially be ranked ahead of Clemson, which won the ACC championship game but has three losses.

Who will get home games in the first round?

While the top four seeds receive a first-round bye, the No. 5-8 seeds will get home games in the first round. Before the conference games over the weekend, Georgia, Ohio State, Tennessee and SMU occupied these spots.

With their win, the Bulldogs will rest next weekend, and Texas will likely play in Austin in the first round.

Penn State’s loss to Oregon means the Nittany Lions will be playing at Beaver Stadium in Happy Valley. Penn State was ranked third in the penultimate CFP rankings, but are unlikely to drop out of the top eight of the rankings after a high-scoring game against the Ducks in Indianapolis.

Notre Dame was ranked No. 4 in the CFP’s penultimate rankings, but will not get a first-round bye because it is not a member of a conference. As an independent, Notre Dame is not eligible for a first round bye. The Irish are very likely to be in the top eight and host a game at historic Notre Dame Stadium.

Ohio State and Tennessee finished the regular season as No. 6 and No. 7 respectively, and it’ll be a tough decision for the committee to figure out which team is going to get a first round home game.

Ultimately, this is the toughest question for the committee to answer and is sure to be a hot-button issue for fans and talking heads alike in the coming weeks before playoff games kick off.

Which teams are on the bubble?

The fate of some teams will come down to the wire. Alabama was ranked No. 11 in the committee’s Tuesday rankings, scraping into the playoff spots ahead of Miami after the Hurricanes shocking loss to Syracuse on November 30.

That result ended any hopes that No. 12 Miami, No. 13 Ole Miss and No. 14 South Carolina might have had of making the playoffs. Alabama, though, still has a shot at making the CFP.

SMU will be watching with bated breath as well. After a devastating loss to Clemson in the ACC championship, the Mustangs are counting on their conference championship game appearance to carry them into postseason play.

Indiana University will also be watching closely. The Hoosiers finished the season with just one loss and were ranked No. 9 in the penultimate CFP rankings. But, Indiana is fighting against a softer strength of schedule and a lesser historical reputation than many of the blue bloods who could be left on the outside looking in. The Hoosiers believe they’ve done enough to earn a playoff berth, but tension will be high in Bloomington.

How have Saturday’s results affected the playoff race?

As mentioned above, Georgia’s win over Texas means that they’re going to be able to rest up and wait to play on either New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day in the semifinals. The Longhorns will now have to play in the first round.

Arizona State’s win in the Big 12 championship game over Iowa State has sent the Cyclones home for the season. With three losses coming into the game at At&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, they needed a win over the Sun Devils to sneak into the final field of 12.

The result that shook up the field the most is Clemson University’s thrilling win over SMU in the ACC championship game. The Tigers guaranteed themselves a spot in the field of 12 with a walk-off field goal as time expired, having just given up a 17-point lead to the Mustangs. But a vital kickoff return put Clemson in position and a clutch 56-yard field goal sent them to the postseason.

The result means SMU — who finished the regular season ranked No. 8 in the CFP rankings — now hopes it will not be penalized for playing in and losing its conference championship game while a team like Alabama sat at home watching. The impending decision on whether to punish a team for losing its conference championship game sets up the first big test for the selection committee in the 12-team format.

Why is one of college football’s top players missing out?

For all the stars taking to the field in the playoffs, there will be a notable one missing. Colorado’s Travis Hunter, whose extraordinary capabilities on both sides of the ball have made him the front-runner for this year’s Heisman Trophy, will miss out on the playoffs as his team didn’t make the Big 12 Championship game.

Colorado was the No. 23 team in the CFP rankings with a 9-3 record in Tuesday’s rankings, far away from any potential CFP spot. The Buffaloes were in the mix for a playoff spot but ultimately missed their chance.

Hunter is also expected to be in New York with Jeanty and the two-way star is the front-runner for the Heisman, a potential feather in the cap of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders in his second season in charge of the Colorado program. Sanders was a star on defense and offense during his own playing career.

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