Viewer’s guide to the new College Football Playoff

It’s the dawn of a new era in college football.

After years of waiting for a bigger and better College Football Playoff system, the moment has finally arrived. A new, expanded 12-team postseason awaits at the conclusion of the 2024 regular season, complete with byes for the top four conference champions and on-campus home games for the next four highest-ranked teams. The Group of Five’s top-ranked champion will also have a shot at the title as a member of the field.

The changes go well beyond just a new playoff format. After a whirlwind past three years of conference realignment, the college sports landscape has a different shape. There are West Coast schools in the Big Ten (USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington), Bay Area schools in the ACC (Stanford and Cal) and Four Corner schools in the Big 12 (Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado). Oh, and that doesn’t even include the long-awaited move to the SEC by Texas and Oklahoma.

Conference schedules look different. Conference championships will as well, with divisions falling by the wayside. Old rivalries will be revived. New grudges will form.

Then there’s the transfer portal (and NIL), which has caused a drastic overhaul in how college football rosters are built. There are plenty of new faces in different places, and many of them will have a substantial impact on this season.

With so much changing ahead of the most anticipated season in college football history, we present the Yahoo Sports Viewer’s Guide to the new College Football Playoff. Let’s go.

How many at-large bids are there? How do they determine who has a bye and who hosts a first-round game on campus? Here’s everything you need to know on the ins and outs of the new playoff.

The offseason of conference realignment also means you’ll need to recalibrate some of your viewing habits ahead of the 2024 college football season.

With the Pac-12 now down to two teams and the other power conferences expanding in size, Pac-12 After Dark is no more. But don’t worry, we’re still going to have plenty of late-night college football telecasts. Here’s where you’ll need to find college football games throughout the 2024 season.

The new College Football playoff is here and there’s now a “Power Four” with the Pac-12’s fade into oblivion in progress. What else is there to be aware of ahead of the most significant college football season ever? Nick Bromberg has you covered right here.

Who are the favorites to win it all this season?

In terms of the odds, the race for the 2024 college football national title is among four teams.

Georgia and Ohio State enter the season as the clear favorites to win the first 12-team College Football Playoff with Texas and Oregon not far behind.

Here’s where the odds stand at BetMGM with only a few days before the season kicks off.

What will the CFP look like in the future?

As college football opens a new era — the Expanded Playoff Era — questions linger about the not-too-distant future.

Will the Group of Five continue to be a part of the playoff? Will the SEC and Big Ten flex more muscle and demand more guaranteed spots in the CFP field? With a format that’s locked in for only the next two years, there’s plenty still on the table.

Ross Dellenger breaks down the latest on the future of the College Football Playoff — and who stands to benefit the most and least moving forward.

Familiar faces in new places

Along with all of the realignment changes, there were several major changes in the coaching ranks and in the transfer portal.

With Jim Harbaugh and Nick Saban now out of the college ranks, who will rise up and hoist the trophy this season. We break down all of the faces in new places you need to know before the season.

Coaches under the most pressure

Some coaches can’t be on the hot seat quite yet because they were just hired or are facing extenuating circumstances. That doesn’t mean they aren’t under pressure.

Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer is filling some legendary shoes. USC’s Lincoln Riley and Colorado’s Deion Sanders are trying to bounce back after underwhelming seasons. Here are 10 coaches who may be feeling the heat if they don’t get off to fast starts early this year.

10 teams poised to bounce back/disappoint

Whether due to injuries or outsized expectations, there were plenty of teams who didn’t live up to expectations last year. And there were plenty that exceeded well beyond their fans’ dreams.

Here are five teams that should bounce back from tough seasons, with five more likely to be disappointments.

How conference schedules will work

There are no longer any divisions in the four power conferences as the top two teams in the standings at the end of the season will play each other for the conference title. Given that each power conference now has at least 16 teams, there’s a decent chance at least one conference will have its title game participants decided via tiebreaker.

Here’s a quick overview of the schedules in each power four conference and the quirky tidbits that could play a factor into deciding a champion.

10 top non-conference games

With all of the conference realignment, the 2024 college football season will provide plenty of new, exciting matchups in the Big Ten, SEC and Big 12. Yet the non-conference slate also includes some games that could either be College Football Playoff previews or early indications as to which teams look like playoff and national title contenders.

Here are 10 of the top non-conference clashes on the schedule before grueling conference schedules begin.

Group of Five teams that could make the playoff

The new playoff format ensures that the five highest-ranked conference champions will be included in the field — which means a conference champion from the AAC, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West or Sun Belt will make the postseason.

There are a handful of teams who look to be a cut above the rest in those five conferences. Here are the six teams we think have the best chance of representing the Group of Five in the first 12-team playoff.

Yahoo Sports’ preseason Top 25

Which teams will make the inaugural 12-team playoff? Here’s how Yahoo Sports has them ranked heading into the season.

25. USC
24. Texas A&M
23. Louisville
22. Arizona
21. Oklahoma
20. Miami
19. Oklahoma State
18. Iowa
17. Kansas State
16. Tennessee
15. Clemson
14. LSU
13. Penn State
12. Boise State
11. Utah
10. Florida State

(The rest of the rankings will be revealed in the lead-up to the season.)