5 things you should know about the confusing College Football Playoff bracket, from seeding to schedule

The second year of the 12-team College Football Playoff won't be like the first. 

That's going to confuse some college football fans. Yes, the College Football Playoff moved to a straight-seeding model – a change that means that the four highest-ranked teams will get bye weeks. That still doesn't mean the 12 highest-ranked teams will get in the playoff.

What? Nobody said this would be perfect. 

From the seeding to the bye weeks to the playoff dates, there is a lot to keep in mind when preparing for the second version of the 12-team College Football Playoff model. 

We're here to help with the answers to all your playoff questions.

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How does straight seeding work? 

In the 12-team College Football Playoff, the FIVE highest-ranked conference champions are given automatic berths to the college football playoff. That means the winners of five of the nine conference championships will be eligible for those spots. The other SEVEN playoff teams are given at-large berths. 

In this case, that means the winners of the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, American Conference and SEC are in line to get those five spots if those teams win this weekend. Last year, the four highest conference champions received the top four seeds and a first-round bye.

That is no longer the case. 

Straight seeding means the TOP FOUR TEAMS IN THE RANKINGS GET FIRST-ROUND BYES. That could mean multiple teams from a conference. No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Indiana could get first-round byes this year despite playing in the same conference. That was not the case last year. 

Why is there still confusion? There are still conference champions that receive automatic bids that are ranked outside the top 12. No. 17 Virginia (ACC) and No. 20 Tulane (American) are those projected teams heading into conference championship weekend. 

Here is how that looks: 

TABLE 

 *Denotes projected conference champion. 

This is what the latest projected bracket look like as a result: 

What happens if Duke wins the ACC? 

Duke (7-5) made the ACC championship game – but the Blue Devils have five losses and are not ranked in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. That could create a scenario where the Blue Devils win a conference championship but are not ranked – which means there would be only four conference champions in the top 25. 

At that point, the committee would have a decision to make if James Madison (11-1) – which is ranked No 25 in the CFP rankings – wins the Sun Belt championship. Would the Dukes make it as the fifth champion ahead of Duke, and thereby lock the ACC out of the CFP? The answer is yes. 

MORE: Breaking down the Miami-Notre Dame debate

How does the first round of the CFP work? 

The top FOUR teams in the rankings will get first-round byes. Straight seeding will be used to determine those rankings, and the teams ranked 5-8 in the CFP rankings will host first-round games on campus. One of those games will be played on Friday, Dec. 19, and a triple-header will be played on Saturday, Dec. 20. Here is how that first round would look according to the latest CFP projections at AllSportsPeople:

Last year, the home teams were 4-0 and won by an average of 19.3 points per game. The hope is that straight seeding leads to more competitive first-round matchups.

Why don't the top four seeds get a home playoff game? 

The New Year's Six Bowls – which are the Fiesta Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl Game, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl Classic – will be the sites for the second round (quarterfinals) and third round (semifinals) in the 12-team College Football Playoff. That means the top four seeds will not host a playoff game on campus. 

If the highest-ranked Big Ten champion is a top four seed, then that team – in this case No. 1 Ohio State – will be in the Rose Bowl Game this year. If the highest-ranked SEC team is one of the top four seeds – in this case No. 3 Georgia – then that team will be at the Allstate Sugar Bowl in the quarterfinal rounds. 

MORE: Alabama is the elephant in the CFP committee room

When are the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship game? 

The first round of the College Football Playoff will be played on the weekend of Dec. 19-20. Here are the dates and times for those games. Here is a look at the date, site, time and TV for those games. 

The quarterfinals will be played on Wednesday, Dec. 31 and Thursday, Jan. 1 – the traditional New Year's Day slot. Here is a look at the date, site, time and TV for those games. 

The semifinals will be played on Thursday, Jan. 8 and Friday, Jan. 9 so they do not go head-to-head against the NFL Wild Card weekend. Here is a look at the date, site, time and TV for those games. 

The College Football Playoff championship game will be on Monday, Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.. Here is a look at the date, site, time and TV for those games.