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First 12-team CFP has Ducks, Dawgs, Broncos, Devils as top four

AP photo by AJ Mast / Oregon running back Jordan James looks toward Penn State safety Zakee Wheatley (6) during the Big Ten championship game Saturday in Indianapolis. Oregon beat Penn State to improve to 13-0 and was seeded No. 1 in the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket that was released Sunday. AP photo by AJ Mast / Oregon running back Jordan James looks toward Penn State safety Zakee Wheatley (6) during the Big Ten championship game Saturday in Indianapolis. Oregon beat Penn State to improve to 13-0 and was seeded No. 1 in the 12-team College Football Playoff bracket that was released Sunday.

By EDDIE PELLS / The Associated Press December 8, 2024 7 min read

The new version of the College Football Playoff brings with it a promise to be bigger, more exciting, more lucrative.

Bigger? Sure, with the field having grown to 12 teams this season after a first decade as a four-team invitational, that’s certain.

More exciting? By having 11 playoff games (instead of two semifinals and a championship game) from the first round to the title matchup, there will be ample opportunities for highlights.

More lucrative? With $115-million plus spread across the conferences — much of it from media rights deals — there’s certainly a lot of money at stake.

Perfect or 100% fair? Well, nobody ever seriously counted on that.