For 10 years, the College Football Playoff followed a four-team formula. There were two semifinal games and one national championship matchup. But this year, that all changed.
Now, twelve teams will have the chance to claim the national title. The NCAA’s new rules include four rounds of playoff games that start on Dec. 20 and will end exactly one month later in Atlanta, Georgia. The top five conference champions will earn automatic spots in the bracket, while the remaining seven are chosen by the CFP Selection Committee. The top four conference champions will get the first week off and face the winners of the first round on Dec. 31 or Jan. 1 in the quarterfinals.
The new format, which was approved by the CFP in Sept. 2022, is supposed to bring a more exciting football postseason experience for both teams and fans. More schools will have a shot at the most prestigious title in college football and fans everywhere will have a chance to enjoy a longer playoff experience.
Last year, Longhorn fans got a taste of it.
Texas finished the season as Big 12 Conference champions and took on Washington in the semifinals of the CFP — the Sugar Bowl. The Longhorns fell to the Huskies 37-31 and missed the chance to bring home a national title.
However, before last year, the last time Texas came close to a playoff appearance was in 2018. The Longhorns won the Big 12 regular season that year but missed out on a CFP spot after losing in the conference championship game. Instead, they defeated Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
After moving to the Southeastern Conference alongside Oklahoma, the Longhorns had much to prove.
Texas’ first year in the SEC went remarkably well. The Longhorns finished the regular season with a conference-best 11-1 record, earning a spot in the conference finals. The Longhorns faced Georgia in the SEC Championship, the only team to hand them a loss this year. Unable to win once again, Texas fell to the Bulldogs, missing out on one of the top four positions in the CFP.
Georgia earned the No. 2 spot and gets a bye week, while Texas will have to compete in three rounds to get a chance to win the national championship title.
Seeded at No. 5, the Longhorns will battle No. 12 Clemson in Austin at the Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Dec. 21. If Texas wins, the Longhorns will head back to Atlanta for the Peach Bowl to take on No. 4 Arizona State.