It might take a 24-team playoff to do what a century of bad blood couldn’t — send the Red River Rivalry packing from Dallas to Norman, Oklahoma.
Texas and Oklahoma have made not just a habit but a tradition of playing their annual rivalry game in Dallas at the Cotton Bowl. But in a 24-team CFP, Texas would be forced to face the Sooners on the road.
That would mean Oklahoma becomes one of 16 teams not only capable of hosting a home playoff game, but capable of drawing the Longhorns north of the Red River for the first time since 1922.
I’m salivating at the idea, especially in a year like this one, where Texas’ chances of making the 12-team CFP are done — cooked — and OU’s opportunity to return to the playoff for the first time since 2019 hangs by a Missouri thread. This is exactly the kind of matchup this expanded format was designed to deliver: history being made, on the biggest stage, with the stakes as high as they can get.
In August, the Big Ten and others began “populating” the idea of an expanded College Football Playoff of 24 or 28 teams. The 24-team model, which seems to have the most support in private circles, would include:
- Four automatic qualifiers from each of the Power 4 conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC)
- Two automatic qualifiers from the Group of 6 (American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Sun Belt and Pac-12)
- Six at-large selections to be made by the College Football Playoff selection committee — the only selections the committee gets to make
Which begs the question: How would the 24-team CFP look if the tournament began today?
In my analysis of a 24-team format, 35 Power 4 programs — including 10 from the Big Ten, nine from the SEC, eight from the Big 12 and eight from the ACC — would still have a path to the postseason. And that’s before factoring in Notre Dame or the Group of 6 contenders.
Heading into Week 13 of the season, teams that have proven themselves in conference play still have just as much opportunity to win it all as No. 1 Ohio State. That’s a huge win for the sport. It creates a more democratic system for determining the best team, with less debate and more certainty.
The scoreboard has more agency.
And fans have the best chance in the sport’s history to see their team play for — and win — a national title.
Here’s how it works:
This 24-team format features 18 automatic qualifiers
I’ve set it up to look like what you’ll read below and stand in to represent the College Football Playoff selection committee.
The top four teams from each of the Power 4 conferences, based on conference standings, automatically qualify for the CFP. The two highest-ranked Group of 6 teams — not necessarily conference champions — also receive automatic bids. The remaining six at-large spots are filled at the selection committee’s discretion.
Teams are seeded by the selection committee
As the personification of the selection committee, I am encouraged to take into account head-to-head matchups, strength of record, coaching, personnel and quality of out-of-conference play when seeding teams.
Winning a conference championship is a strong indicator for a top-seeded team.
Winning a conference title does not automatically qualify a team for a higher seed than a non-conference champion.
The 24-team playoff’s greatest strength is the addition of two rounds of home games
My top 25, which you can read here, is the basis on which these seedings are assigned.
The first two rounds of a 24-team playoff would feature two rounds of home games. The four teams that advance through the opening rounds will play their next game at a New Year’s Six Bowl in a neutral site semifinal.
Teams seeded No. 1 to No. 8 get a bye and a home playoff game. Teams seeded No. 9 to No. 16 each open the tournament with a home playoff game. Teams seeded No. 17 to No. 24 each must play on the road twice to advance to the neutral site quarterfinals.
I need to summarize this, because it’s the best aspect of the 24-team CFP: 16 different campuses host home playoff games.
With that, here is a look at the Week 13 24-team CFP bracket:
FIRST-ROUND BYE, SECOND-ROUND HOME GAME
1. Ohio State (10-0), Big Ten
Ohio State is the only FBS team holding opponents to less than 10 points per game (7.5). The Buckeyes have allowed 75 points on the season, 50 fewer than the next closest team.
2. Indiana (11-0), Big Ten
The Hoosiers have a point differential of +215 in conference games, the only FBS team to have a point differential of over 200 against conference opponents.
3. Texas A&M (10-0), SEC
The Aggies completed the largest comeback in program history against South Carolina (27 points). Entering Saturday, SEC teams were 0-286 when trailing by 27-plus points in conference play.
4. Georgia (9-1), SEC, Previously Ranked: 6
Since Week 8, Georgia ranks eighth among all power conference teams in scoring at 35.8 points per game.
5. Oregon (9-1), Big Ten
The Ducks are one of just three FBS teams to average over 39 points per game and allow fewer than 14 points per game, along with Indiana and Texas Tech.
6. Ole Miss (10-1), SEC, Previously Ranked 7
If the Rebels win the Egg Bowl, they will be 7-1 in SEC play for just the second time since 2000. Ole Miss also ranks first among FBS teams in total offense with 5,432 yards.
7. Oklahoma (8-2), At-Large, SEC, Previously Ranked: 11
The Sooners are one of two FBS teams with four wins vs. ranked opponents, with the other one being Alabama — whom they defeated this past week.
8. Texas Tech (10-1), Big 12
Texas Tech is the only team in the country to rank in the top five among FBS teams in takeaways (24) and big plays (121). Big plays: rushes of 10-plus yards and receptions of 20-plus yards
FIRST-ROUND HOME GAME
9. BYU (9-1), Big 12
The Cougars might be the second-best team in the Big 12. With the four best teams in the league each automatically qualifying for the 24-team CFP, they’d be a shoo-in. However, the 12-team CFP might not have room for more than one Big 12 team. It didn’t last year, and two losses — especially if they’re both to Texas Tech — should disqualify BYU from an opportunity to play for its first national title since 1984.
10. Texas (7-3), Big 12, At-Large
There’s no way the Longhorns make a 12-team CFP at this point. With three losses, including two in SEC competition, there’s no real path for them to make the tournament as an at-large team. But in this format, wins against Arkansas and Texas A&M would almost certainly see them through.
11. Notre Dame (8-2), Independent, At-Large, Previously Ranked: 12
The Fighting Irish look fit to return to the national championship game if their form against Pitt and Navy is any indication. Notre Dame doesn’t play for a conference title, and that could help the Irish climb into the elite tier if others ahead of them falter.
12. Alabama (8-2), SEC, Previously Ranked: 4
Like Texas, a nine-win Alabama isn’t getting an invitation to a 12-team CFP. It doesn’t matter that Ty Simpson is one of the best quarterbacks in the country, or that the Crimson Tide’s receiving corps and scoring defense have been exceptional this season. In a 24-team CFP, though, a two-point loss to a good Oklahoma team isn’t a nail coffin nail — it’s just another data point. The Tide would still have a chance to play their way into the tournament with wins to close out the season.
13. Vanderbilt (8-2), SEC, At-Large
The Commodores might not have the résumé to make the CFP, even as a 10-win team. But that shouldn’t be the reason we miss out on seeing Heisman candidate Diego Pavia on the sport’s biggest stage. In a 24-team format, we wouldn’t.
14. Georgia Tech (9-1), ACC
I’m just not sure the Yellow Jackets are great anymore. After getting thumped by NC State and narrowly coming back to defeat Boston College last weekend, Georgia Tech QB Haynes King and company have a lot to prove. And they’ll get Georgia on the schedule to close out 2025.
15. Michigan (8-2), Big Ten, At-Large
The Wolverines’ entire identity has been around defeating Ohio State in each of the last four meetings. And they’ll need to in order to make the CFP. Without star RB Justice Haynes, freshman phenom Bryce Underwood will have even more work to do just to get Michigan the requisite 10 wins for consideration.
16. Utah (8-2), Big 12, Previously Ranked: 17
Since losing to Texas Tech, the Utes have scored 42 points or more in every game they’ve played except their loss to BYU. Even so, the third-best team in the Big 12 has little chance of making a 12-team CFP. In a 24-team format, though, the Utes become exactly the kind of postseason team no one wants to face — a dangerous squad playing its best football at the right time.
ON THE ROAD
17. Virginia (9-2), ACC, Previously Ranked: 18
at Utah
The Cavaliers will need to win the ACC Championship to make their first CFP this season, but after taking nine of their first 11 games — and matching the 11 total wins from Tony Elliott’s first three years — “Why not Virginia?” feels like a battle cry with real merit.
18. Miami (Fla.) (8-2), ACC, At-Large Bid, Previously Ranked: NR
at Michigan
The Hurricanes would have you believe the ACC is every bit as tough to win as the SEC or Big Ten. The selection committee clearly disagrees — and its Week 12 rankings made that obvious. But in a 24-team format, the committee’s opinion wouldn’t matter nearly as much, because Miami is still one of the four best teams in its Power 4 conference.
19. USC (8-2), Big Ten
at Georgia Tech
The Trojans will need a massive win over Oregon in Autzen this weekend to keep their hopes of making their first trip to the CFP alive.
20. North Texas (9-1), Group Of 6
at Vanderbilt
The Mean Green have the most explosive and high-scoring offenses in the country with 45.3 points per game.
21. Navy (8-2), Group of 6, Previously Ranked: NR
at Alabama
No academy has ever done what the Midshipmen could do: Make the CFP and do it with a conference title in tow.
22. Houston (8-2), Big 12, Previously Ranked: NR
at Notre Dame
Houston hasn’t been good enough to contend for a national title since Heisman-winning QB Andre Ware commanded the offense in 1989. That could change with a CFP bid. And while it’s unlikely in 2025, a 24-team playoff would give Houston a postseason path — and a real shot at the national title.
23. Pittsburgh (7-3), Big 12, Previously Ranked: 16
at Texas
The Panthers have a football legacy that’s often overlooked — from Heisman winner Tony Dorsett to Johnny Majors leading Pitt to the national title in 1976. Given the talent the program has produced since — from Dan Marino to Larry Fitzgerald to Aaron Donald — it would be thrilling to see Pat Narduzzi put Pitt back in a position to reach those heights again.
24. SMU (7-3), ACC, Previously Ranked: 23
at BYU
The Mustangs have been ACC killers since they joined the conference. They are 13-1 against ACC opponents since 2024.
Above is how the CFP would look if it ended today, but there will be changes and teams not included in the bracket that still have a chance to earn entry into the tournament.
Teams on the bubble have taken on losses, but not enough losses for them not to crawl into the top quarter of their conference, and, with 10 or even just nine wins in the regular season, could find themselves into an automatic qualifier spot.
Every game matters. Rivalry games matter more.
No one in Columbus, Ohio, needs to be reminded that the Buckeyes haven’t won “The Game” since 2019, and a win for a Michigan team that has won eight games heading into “The Game” this season could almost certainly mean the Wolverines would be in the CFP.
Texas A&M, which hasn’t won a conference title this century or a national title since 1939, will have to stare down their arch nemesis, Texas, with what could be a spot in the SEC Championship on the line for the Aggies, and a spot in the CFP for the Longhorns.
Good, Old-Fashioned Hate. The rivalry between Georgia Tech and Georgia this year makes it conceivable that a loss to the Yellow Jackets could see the Dawgs left out of the CFP for the first time in three years.
The 24-team CFP takes on the best aspects of the November rivalry: home and away games played on campuses across the country where atmosphere, emotion and pageantry are unmatched.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him @RJ_Young.
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