Whether it’s the ongoing topic of conference realignment, the introduction of name, image,
and likeness, the rise of the transfer portal in recent years, or the eventual expansion of the College Football Playoff, it’s obvious that the current landscape is changing dramatically.
In early December, it was announced that the playoff would expand to 12 teams starting in 2024,
meaning that this upcoming season will be the last under the 4-team model that we’ve come to know.
For fans of the Oregon Ducks and the Pac-12 in general, that is great news,
meaning that there is a guarantee that a school from out west will get in each and every year, with the Power 5 conference champions getting an automatic bid.
With the news of an expanded playoff, it changes the structure of how the bowl system will work.
Instead of having two semifinal sites that feed into the national championship game,
the new-look playoffs will start at the higher seeds’ college campuses or otherwise determined venues.
Four bowl games will host quarterfinals. Two will host the semifinals. Finally, the national championship venues will still be bid out and selected ahead of time.
With all of the changes afoot, we thought it would be good to revisit what all the fun will look like with known dates and venues through 2026.
There’s still a lot to be announced with specific times and dates, but here’s how it all looks so far.