12 teams, 11 games, one champion: A guide to the College Football Playoff

The 12-team College Football Playoff bracket is set and the games begin Dec. 19. The first round is hosted by the higher seed before the games shift to neutral sites. Here is you need to know:Who is playing and what time are the games? 11 games are set between Dec. 19 and Jan. 19, and each will be broadcast nationally. The first round (CFP seeds, times Eastern): No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Oklahoma, Dec. 19, 8 p.m. (ABC, ESPN)BetMGM College Football Odds: Oklahoma by 1.5.What to know: The CFP kicks off with an SEC rematch: The Sooners got the best of Alabama with a 23-21 road win in mid-November. Oklahoma's defense led the charge, helping OU score 17 points off three turnovers, one of which was an 87-yard pick-six. Alabama comes off a lackluster SEC title game loss to Georgia. Quarterback Ty Simpson and Alabama's offense will look for redemption against one of the nation's top defenses while Oklahoma's John Mateer will try to continue his storybook season.The winner: Advances to the Rose Bowl to play No. 1 Indiana. No. 10 Miami (Fla.) at No. 7 Texas A&M, Dec. 20, Noon (ABC, ESPN)BetMGM College Football Odds: Texas A&M by 3.5.What to know: Texas A&M and Miami meet for the sixth time overall and first time in two years. The Aggies and Hurricanes were the only teams to knock off Notre Dame this year, which played a major factor in Miami earning a CFP bid and the Irish being left out. The Hurricanes stumbled with a pair of bad conference losses but bounced back with four straight wins to end the season. Texas A&M had a perfect season up until the very last week, when they lost 27-17 to in-state foe Texas.The winner: Advances to the Cotton Bowl to play No. 2 Ohio State. No. 11 Tulane at No. 6 Ole Miss, Dec. 20, 3:30 p.m. (TNT, HBO Max)BetMGM College Football Odds: Ole Miss by 17.5.What to know: Tulane punched its playoff ticket with a 34-21 American Conference championship win against North Texas. The Green Wave heads to Oxford to face Ole Miss for the second time this season. The two last met in September, and Ole Miss cruised to a 45-10 victory. The Rebels will be without head coach Lane Kiffin, whose request to lead the team before he leaves for LSU was turned down.The winner: Advances to the Sugar Bowl to play No. 3 Georgia. No. 12 James Madison at No. 5 Oregon, Dec. 20, 7:30 p.m. (TNT, HBO Max)BetMGM College Football Odds: Oregon by 21.5.What to know: James Madison's trip to the CFP accounts for several firsts. It marks the Dukes' first time in the playoff, it will be the first time James Madison and Oregon meet in football and JMU made history with Tulane as the CFP has two Group of Five teams for the first time. The Dukes were crowned Sun Belt champions with a 31-14 win against Troy, finishing the season with a 12-1 record. Oregon finished third in the Big Ten with an 11-1 record. The Ducks' only loss of the season was to Indiana in October.The winner: Advances to the Orange Bowl to play No. 4 Texas Tech. Who are the favorites? Ohio State is the betting favorite with plus-225 odds (9-4) to win the national championship for the second straight year, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Indiana (+275, or 11-4) and Georgia (+500, 5-1) are next. The rest of the odds: Oregon (8-1), Texas Tech (9-1), Texas A&M (17-1), Miami (22-1), Ole Miss and Alabama (both 25-1), Oklahoma (50-1) and Tulane and James Madison (each 500-1). How does the playoff work? A 12-member CFP selection committee finalized the highly anticipated bracket Dec. 7. Five spots were reserved for the highest-ranked conference champions, regardless of their overall CFP ranking. Duke won the ACC championship but was left out because of its five losses, clearing a path for the two G5 schools (Tulane and James Madison). This year, first-round byes were awarded using a straight-seeding approach. No. 1 Indiana, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 Texas Tech await opponents in the quarterfinals. The rest play first-round games on campus: No. 5 Oregon, No. 6 Ole Miss, No. 7 Texas A&M, No. 8 Oklahoma, No. 9 Alabama, No. 10 Miami, No. 11 Tulane and No. 12 James Madison. The CFP began with four teams in January 2015 and was expanded to 12 teams before the start of the 2024 season. How much money is at stake? Each conference earns $4 million per team in the CFP bracket. The eight teams that advance to the quarterfinals earn their conference an additional $4 million. No. 1 Indiana, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 Texas Tech are already on the books for $8 million apiece as the top four. The SEC has already accumulated $24 million, with five teams making the playoff and one already in the quarterfinals. With three teams in the bracket and two earning first-round byes, the Big Ten starts with $20 million. Conferences earn an additional $6 million for teams advancing to the semis and another $6 million for making the finals. There's also a $300,000 stipend per team that is academically eligible for the playoffs. Teams that make the playoff get $3 million to cover expenses for each round.