College Football Playoff Bracket Maker - 12-Team CFP
Build a College Football Playoff bracket. The CFP is a 12-team, single-elimination field: the top four seeds get a first-round bye, seeds 5 through 12 play on campus, and the survivors run through the New Year's Six bowls to the National Championship. Enter your teams, seed them, share the link, and print.
The College Football Playoff bracket is a 12-team single-elimination field. The four highest-ranked teams get a first-round bye straight to the quarterfinals; seeds 5 through 12 play the first round on the higher seed's campus (5v12, 6v11, 7v10, 8v9). Quarterfinals and semifinals are hosted by the New Year's Six bowls, and the two survivors meet in the National Championship. Generate, seed, share, and print your bracket free below, no signup.
How the 12-Team CFP Bracket Works
12 Teams, 4 Rounds, Straight Seeding
- -12 teams: the top conference champions plus the highest-ranked at-large teams, set by the CFP Selection Committee
- -Seeds 1-4 (the four highest-ranked teams) get a first-round bye
- -First round: seeds 5-12 play on the higher seed's campus
- -Quarterfinals and semifinals at the New Year's Six bowls
- -National Championship at a neutral site chosen by bid
Round-by-Round
The First Round and the Top-4 Byes
The four highest-ranked teams sit out the opening weekend. Everyone else plays a first-round game hosted by the better seed:
Each first-round game is played at the higher seed's home stadium (or an alternate venue it chooses), so the opening round rewards a strong regular season with a true home game - the only home games in the bracket. The four winners advance to the quarterfinals, where they meet the rested top-four seeds.
Since the 2025 season the CFP has used straight seeding: the four byes go to the four highest-ranked teams overall, regardless of conference-title status. In the inaugural 2024 season the byes instead went to the four highest-ranked conference champions, which pushed some top-ranked at-large teams down to a first-round game.
How the 12 Teams Are Chosen
The CFP Selection Committee sets the field. A group of the top-ranked conference champions earn automatic bids, and the rest of the 12 places go to the highest-ranked at-large teams in the committee's final ranking. For the 2024 and 2025 seasons that meant the five highest-ranked conference champions plus seven at-large teams.
The SEC and Big Ten pushed to expand the field, but could not agree on a number, so the CFP Management Committee held the format at 12 teams through the 2026-27 season. This bracket maker works for any 12-team field, so you can drop in the committee's selections as soon as they are announced and share the link.
CFP Bracket Pool Scoring
Per-Round Points
Upset Bonus and Tiebreak
A common twist rewards calling upsets: add the seed number of any lower seed you correctly pick to advance, so a No. 11 beating a No. 6 is worth a big swing.
Most pools break ties on the total combined points scored in the National Championship Game (closest without going over).
FAQ
How many teams make the College Football Playoff?
Twelve teams reach the College Football Playoff. The CFP Selection Committee fills the field with the highest-ranked conference champions plus the best remaining at-large teams. For the 2024 and 2025 seasons the automatic bids went to the five highest-ranked conference champions, with the other seven places filled by the highest-ranked at-large teams. The CFP Management Committee kept the 12-team field in place through the 2026-27 season.
Which CFP teams get a first-round bye?
The top four seeds get a first-round bye and open in the quarterfinals. Since the 2025 season the CFP uses straight seeding, so the four highest-ranked teams overall are seeded 1 through 4 and take the byes, whether or not they won their conference. In the inaugural 2024 season the four byes instead went to the four highest-ranked conference champions.
What are the CFP first-round matchups?
Seeds 5 through 12 play in the first round: 5 vs 12, 6 vs 11, 7 vs 10, and 8 vs 9. The higher seed hosts each first-round game on its home campus (or an alternate venue of its choosing), so the opening round is played at the better seeds’ stadiums rather than at neutral bowl sites.
Where are the CFP quarterfinals, semifinals, and championship played?
The quarterfinals and semifinals are hosted by the New Year’s Six bowls - the Rose, Sugar, Orange, Cotton, Peach, and Fiesta. The National Championship Game is played at a separate neutral site chosen through bidding. The 2025 season title game was in Miami Gardens, Florida (Jan 19, 2026); the 2026 season title game is set for Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas (Jan 25, 2027).
How many games are in the 12-team College Football Playoff?
Eleven games. The first round is four games (seeds 5-12), the quarterfinals four games (the four bye teams join the first-round winners), the semifinals two games, and the National Championship one game. A 12-team single-elimination bracket always plays 11 games because 12 minus 1 teams must be eliminated.