When Are College Football Playoff Rankings Announced? Where to Watch, Live Stream Selection Sunday
Four months on since the college football season began, the final reckoning for FBS programs has arrived.
On Sunday, the College Football Playoff selection committee will select the four teams that will go on to compete for the national championship.
The committee will also determine which teams will compete in the remaining four of the New Year' Six Bowl games—two being the CFP semifinals.
Ohio State, LSU and Clemson occupied the top three going into the weekend and the trio will undoubtedly feature in the CFP after winning their respective conference championship games.
The Buckeyes defeated No. 8 Wisconsin 34-21 to win a third straight Big Ten Championship Game. Trailing 21-7 at halftime, Ohio State rallied and kept the Badgers scoreless in the second half to secure a first trip to the playoff in three years.
LSU, meanwhile, defeated Georgia 37-10 to clinch the SEC Championship Game, as Joe Burrow strengthened his MVP credentials. The Tigers quarterback finished with 349 passing yards and four touchdowns, as LSU dominated the Bulldogs from the start and scored at will against one of the best defenses in the nation.
Clemson, meanwhile, claimed an unprecedented fifth consecutive ACC Championship Game with a 62-21 rout of Virginia. The battle for the final spot, however, remains very open. Georgia's loss to LSU and No. 5 Utah's defeat to No. 13 Oregon in the Pac-12 title game means both programs are 11-2, while No. 6 Oklahoma improved to 12-1 after beating No. 7 Baylor in the Big 12 Championship Game.
The Sooners have defeated four ranked programs this season and should have done enough to leapfrog the Bulldogs in fourth place.
Here's all you need to know ahead of Selection Sunday.
When is Selection Sunday?
Selection Sunday runs from 12 p.m. ET to 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, December 8.
TV coverage
The selection show airs at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Live stream
A live stream of the selection show will be available via ESPN's website and the ESPN App.
Who is currently No. 1?
As the graphic below provided by Statista shows, Ohio State retained top spot in Week 14. The Buckeyes debuted at No. 1 in the inaugural CFP rankings of the season but slid down a spot after LSU defeated Alabama on November 9, before returning to the top pile in Week 13.
Clemson and Georgia remained at No. 3 and No. 4 respectively, while Utah and Oklahoma climbed up one spot to No. 5 and No. 6 respectively and Baylor rose two places to No. 7.
When does the College Football Playoff start?
The two semifinals will be held on December 28, with the Fiesta Bowl held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona and the Peach Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
The national championship game will be played on January 13 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Who is the favorite to win the title?
Ohio State is the bookmakers' favorite to win the national championship this season.
According to BetOnline, the Buckeyes are 7/4 favorite, while Clemson and LSU are both 2/1 and Oklahoma is a 9/1 outsider.
When are the other New Year's Six Bowl scheduled for?
The remaining four of the six New Year's bowl games are scheduled across three days, beginning with the Cotton Bowl Classic in Arlington, Texas, on December 28.
The Orange Bowl takes place at Miami Gardens, Florida, two days later, with the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl both scheduled for New Year's Day.
The former will be played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, while the latter will be hosted by the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
