The College Football Playoff (CFP) is an annual college football tournament featuring the season’s top college football teams. Starting with four teams who play in the semifinal round, the two surviving teams faceoff in the College Football Playoff National Championship to determine a national champion.
The College Football Playoff selection committee consists of 13 members who generally serve three year terms, however some do serve shorter or longer terms. Currently, the committee consists of one athletic director from each of the five “major” conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC), as well as former coaches, NCAA executives, players, and a USA Today reporter. The committee ranks each team based on a number of factors, including record, strength of schedule, head-to-head results, weather, and injuries.
Each year, two of the six traditional bowl games (Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, and Peach Bowl) serve as the semifinal CFP games on a three-year rotating basis. The pairings are as follows: Rose/Sugar, Orange/Cotton, and Fiesta/Peach. The No. 1-ranked team plays No. 4, the No. 2-ranked team plays No. 3.
The selection committee awards the No. 1 team the bowl game closest to their school to give them home field advantage.