It feels like it’s been a billion years coming, but, at long last, college football has a real playoff system, and the first year’s field is now teed up.
First, let’s review the teams that made it:
#1 Seed: Oregon
#2 Seed: Georgia
#3 Seed: Boise State
#4 Seed: Arizona State
#5 Seed: University of Texas (Austin)
#6 Seed: Penn State
#7 Seed: Notre Dame
#8 Seed: Ohio State
#9 Seed: Tennessee
#10 Seed: Indiana
#11 Seed: SMU
#12 Seed: Clemson
The top four seeds will have a first-round bye, while the rest of the teams will play an opening game at the home stadium of the higher seed.
FIRST ROUND: DECEMBER 20-21
Friday, December 20, 8pm ET: #10 Indiana at #7 Notre Dame at Notre Dame Stadium
Saturday, December 21, 12pm ET: #11 SMU at #6 Penn State at Beaver Stadium
Saturday, December 21, 3pm CT: #12 Clemson at #5 Texas at Darrell K Royal Stadium
Saturday, December 21, 8pm ET: #9 Tennessee at #8 Ohio State at Ohio Stadium
SECOND ROUND: DECEMBER 31 – JANUARY 1
FIESTA BOWL: Tuesday, December 31, 5:30pm MT: Penn State/SMU winner at Boise State, State Farm Stadium, Phoenix
PEACH BOWL: Wednesday, January 1, 1pm ET: Texas/Clemson winner at Arizona State, Mercedes Benz Stadium, Atlanta
ROSE BOWL: Wednesday, January 1, 2pm PT: Ohio State/Tennessee winner at Oregon, Rose Bowl, Los Angeles
SUGAR BOWL: Wednesday, January 1, 7:45pm CT: Notre Dame/Indiana winner at Georgia, Caesars Superdome, New Orleans
SEMIFINALS: JANUARY 9-10
ORANGE BOWL, JANUARY 9, 7:30pm ET: Fiesta Bowl winner vs. Sugar Bowl winner at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
COTTON BOWL, JANUARY 10, 6:30pm CT: Peach Bowl winner vs. Rose Bowl winner at the Cotton Bowl, Dallas
FINALS: JANUARY 20, 7:30pm ET
Cotton Bowl winner vs. Orange Bowl winner. Mercedes Benz Stadium, Atlanta.
HOW THIS AFFECTS TRAVEL PLANNING
Although we’ve known the sites for the semifinals and finals for a long time, it’s the locations for the first two rounds that are the new news here. This is the first year that schools are hosting on-campus playoff games, so the level of excitement is high.
On the flip side, the logistics are also challenging.
The games in Austin and Columbus are much more manageable. They have full airports to fly to, as well as hotel infrastructure for visiting fans. Even though prices may be expensive, at least there’s a decent amount of supply for both flights and lodging.
But Penn State and Notre Dame are different stories. With Notre Dame having an 8pm ET local start time on a Friday night, driving out after the game might be difficult. Getting back to Chicago or Indianapolis after the game is doable, but it certainly will make for a long day, especially with the typical post-game traffic challenges in South Bend.
Penn State in Happy Valley is also difficult. With that game starting at 12pm ET on Saturday, at least fans who are within driving distance could drive in before the game and drive out after the game. That makes planning a trip without a hotel reservation at least feasible if you live within driving distance.
But if you don’t live within driving distance of these places, getting an affordable hotel room may be a significant challenge.
The second-round games will be easier, since they’re being held in major markets like Phoenix, New Orleans, Atlanta, and LA. Plenty of flights, plenty of hotels. And if your team might be playing in one of those games, now would be a good time (if you haven’t already) to make some refundable hotel and flight reservations.
The same goes for the semifinal games in Miami and Dallas, and the championship game in Atlanta. Don’t get caught in the crunch once the teams are known and everyone is booking. As long as your reservations can be canceled (for either a full refund or reusable credit), making reservations in advance is the best way to go about planning to see your team on the road in the playoffs.
