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How college football’s Selection Sunday will work

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart reacts during the first half of the SEC Football Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, December 2, 2017, in Atlanta. Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com
Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart reacts during the first half of the SEC Football Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, December 2, 2017, in Atlanta. Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com
By
Dec 3, 2017

College football’s playoff lineup will be set this weekend, as will the pairings for other bowl games. Here are 10 things to know about how it all will work:

1. How are the playoff pairings determined? 

The College Football Playoff selection committee will unveil its final rankings of the season early Sunday afternoon and place its top four teams in the national semifinals. The Nos. 1 and 4 teams will meet in one semifinal, the Nos. 2 and 3 teams in the other.

2. What time Sunday will the final rankings and playoff pairings be revealed? 

They’ll be announced on ESPN during a four-hour College Football Playoff Selection Show, which begins at noon. The playoff semifinal pairings will be revealed at 12:30 p.m. and the rest of the Top 25 at 2 p.m., according to playoff officials.

ExploreRead more on myajc.com.

About the Author

Tim Tucker, a long-time AJC sports reporter, often writes about the business side of the games. He also had stints as the AJC's Braves beat writer, UGA beat writer, sports notes columnist and executive sports editor. He was deputy managing editor of America's first all-sports newspaper, The National Sports Daily.

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