For the 23rd straight season, I have created a 16 team mock college football playoff bracket based my proposed college football playoff system, which would begin this weekendt based on the model you see below.  I realize that we now officially have a 12 team playoff starting this season, but I still feel like my 16 team model is superior for a few reasons. First of all, my model allows for all ten conference champions to play in the playoff. We would not longer be relying on a committee to determine which Group of Five champion is best, instead all five of them would get to play for a national title. Secondly, this model does not allow for first and second round rematches like the 12 team format does. For instance, this season you will likely see Oregon vs. Ohio State play in the Rose Bowl, and while that was a good game the first time around, it is not really fair to the Ducks that they have to open their playoff run against a team they already beat. Finally, the third major benefit is that the conference champions don’t get the automatic first round byes, which as we saw in this year’s bracket created a great amount of controversy and seeding disparities. I have posted my bracket for this season below which you will see just under this paragraph, and then all of its nuances will be discussed below that.

The Field: Clemson (ACC Champ), Oregon (Big Ten Champ), Arizona State (Big 12 Champ), Georgia (SEC Champ), Army (American Champ), Boise State (Mountain West champ), Jacksonville State (Conference USA Champ), Ohio (MAC champ), UL-Lafayette (Sun Belt Champ), Texas (at-large, # 3 in CFP Rankings), Penn State (at-large, # 4 in CFP Rankings), Notre Dame (at-large, # 5 in CFP Rankings), Ohio State (at-large, # 6 in CFP Rankings), Tennessee (at-large, # 7 in CFP Rankings), Indiana (at-large, # 8 in CFP Rankings), SMU (at-large, # 10 in CFP Rankings)

West Regional

(1) Oregon vs. (4) Ohio, Friday December 20th- 8:00 (ESPN), San Diego, CA (Holiday Bowl)

(2) Tennessee vs. (3) Boise State, Saturday December 21st- 4:00 ESPN), El Paso, TX (Sun Bowl)

Winners play Wednesday January 1st at 4:00 (ESPN) in Glendale, AZ (Fiesta Bowl)

East Regional

(1) Penn State vs. (4) Army, Saturday December 21st- 12:00 (ESPN 2), Detroit, MI (GameAbove Sports Bowl)

(2) Notre Dame vs. (3) Clemson, Saturday December 21st- 8:00 (ESPN), Phoenix, AZ (Rate Bowl)

Winners play Wednesday January 1st at 12:00 (ESPN) in Orlando, FL (Citrus Bowl)

South Regional

(1) Georgia vs. (4) Jacksonville State, Saturday December 21st- 12:00 (ESPN), Charlotte, NC (Duke’s Mayo Bowl)

(2) Indiana vs. (3) SMU, Saturday December 21st- 12:00 (ABC), Montgomery, AL (Salute to Veterans Bowl)

Winners play Wednesday January 1st at 4:00 (ABC) in Atlanta, GA (Peach Bowl)

Midwest Regional

(1) Texas vs. (4) Louisiana, Saturday December 21st- 8:00 (ESPN), Dallas, TX (First Responder Bowl)

(2) Ohio State vs. (3) Arizona State, Saturday December 21st- 4:00 (ABC), Boca Raton, FL (Boca Raton Bowl)

Winners play Wednesday January 1st at 8:00 (ESPN) in Arlington, TX (Cotton Bowl)

Final Four/Championship

West Regional Champ vs. East Regional Champ, Thursday January 10th- 8:00 (ESPN), Pasadena, CA (Rose Bowl)

South Regional Champ vs. Midwest Regional Champ, Friday January 11th- 8:00 (ESPN), New Orleans, LA (Sugar Bowl)

Championship Game, Monday Jan 20th- 8:00 (ESPN), Miami, FL (Orange Bowl)

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Basic Format:

• 16 teams (9 conference championships and 7 at-larges chosen by the top 7 in the Playoff Rankings, which can be chosen exactly as it is now with a committee of 12/13.)
• 4 regions (teams seeded 1-4 based on committee)
• Bowl sites will become tourney sites.  See further explanation below.
• Selection Sunday will be held the day after conference championship day and the first game will be played two weeks after that.
• A couple of special stipulations are that two teams from the same conference can’t play in the same region, and each conference is limited to four total playoff teams.
• Teams can’t play on their home field except in semifinals or finals.

Scheduling:

• I’ve even drafted a mock game schedule that takes into consideration both the interests of the viewers and  television providers. 
• Week 1 (First Round):  Game 1: Thursday 8:00- second best game of the week (ESPN);  Game 2: Friday 8:00- worst game of the week (ESPN); Games 3 and 4: Saturday 12:00- two non-west region games (ABC/ESPN split); Games 5 and 6: Saturday 3:30- two games of any type (ABC/ESPN split); Games 7 and 8: Saturday 8:00- game of the week is on ABC; ESPN has other game.
• Week 2 (Elite 8): Game 1: Saturday 12:00- Third biggest game of the week but can’t be midwest/west regional final (ESPN); Game 2: Saturday 3:30- Worst game of the week (ESPN); Game 3: Saturday 3:30- Second biggest game of the week (ABC); Game 4: Saturday 8:00- Featured game of the week (ABC).
• Week 3 (Final Four): Game 1: Saturday 3:30- Rose Bowl in years that Pasadena has semifinal; otherwise, second biggest game of the week (ESPN); Game 2: Saturday 8:00- Non-Rose Bowl in years that Pasadena has semifinal; otherwise, featured game of the week (ESPN).
• Week 4 (Championship Game): Monday 8:00 (ESPN)

Playoff Sites:

• Lower-tier bowl sites will become first round sites on a rotational basis. 
• 2024: Charlotte, NC (Duke’s Mayo Bowl); Detroit, MI (Quick Lane Bowl); Montgomery, AL (Camellia Bowl); Boca Raton, FL (Boca Raton Bowl); El Paso, TX (Sun Bowl); Dallas, TX (First Responder Bowl); Phoenix, AZ (Guaranteed Rate Bowl); San Diego, CA (Holiday Bowl).
• 2025: New York, NY (Pinstripe Bowl); Nashville, TN (Music City Bowl); Mobile, AL (LendingTree Bowl); Tampa, FL (Outback Bowl); San Antonio, TX (Alamo Bowl); Houston, TX (Texas Bowl); Albuquerque, NM (New Mexico Bowl); Las Vegas, NV (Las Vegas Bowl).
• 2026: Nassau, Bahamas (Bahamas Bowl); Annapolis, MD (Military Bowl); Birmingham, AL (Birmingham Bowl); Jacksonville, FL (Gator Bowl); Fort Worth, TX (Armed Forces Bowl); Memphis, TN (Liberty Bowl); Tucson, AZ (Arizona Bowl); San Francisco, CA (Former Redbox Bowl).
• 2027: Boston, MA (Fenway Bowl); Indianapolis, IN (Fictional Hoosier Bowl); Conway, SC (Myrtle Beach, SC); Shreveport, LA (Independence Bowl); Frisco, TX (Frisco Bowl); Boise, ID (Famous Idaho Potato Bowl); Honolulu, HI (Hawaii Bowl); Inglewood, CA (LA Bowl).
•  The bowl sites of Arlington, TX (Cotton), Orlando, FL (Citrus), Glendale, AZ (Fiesta), and Atlanta, GA (Peach) will be annual elite 8 sites.
• The Final Four/Championship games will be held in Pasadena, New Orleans, and Miami.  The championship game will rotate between the 3 sites, and the two final four games will be played in the non-championship cities.
• The first-round sites that are off of the playoff rotation will still hold bowl games like they do currently.