One of the most contentious periods of the college football season is nearly here: The weekly release of the College Football Playoff rankings.
The made-for-TV top 25 release will undoubtedly create some contentious debate over the last six weeks of the regular season, which of course is by design. The only thing to do is let the season play out.
The usual suspects will continue to be center to (or on the fringe) of the Playoff discussions, including Georgia, Ohio State, Clemson, Alabama and more. Some newcomers will make themselves known as well, including such teams as Tennessee, Michigan and Ole Miss.
The Sporting News has everything you need to know about the College Football Playoff in 2022, including release dates, New Year’s Day 6 locations and historical trends to know:
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When are the CFP rankings released?
The first set of College Football Playoff rankings will be on Tuesday, Nov. 1. The rankings schedule for 2022 is as follows:
| Date | Time (ET) |
| Tuesday, Nov. 1 | 7 p.m. |
| Tuesday, Nov. 8 | 7 p.m. |
| Tuesday, Nov. 15 | 9 p.m.* |
| Tuesday, Nov. 22 | 7 p.m. |
| Tuesday, Nov. 29 | 7 p.m. |
| Sunday, Dec. 4 | Noon |
* The second set of Playoff rankings will air between games at the Champions Classic.
When is the College Football Playoff selection show?
Selection day for the College Football Playoff is Sunday, Dec. 4. That will follow the conclusion of the conference championship games the day prior, on Dec. 3. The Playoff selection show will once again take four hours, with the top 25 being unveiled from the top (25) down to No. 1.
Where are the CFP semifinals games in 2022?
The CFP semifinal games this year will rotate to the Peach and Fiesta Bowls in Atlanta and Glendale, Ariz., respectively. This will be each venue’s third time hosting College Football Playoff games, following the 2016 and ’19 seasons.
The remaining New Year’s Day 6 bowl games will take place at the Rose, Sugar and Orange bowls, each of which has a specific tie-in dependent on CFP rankings:
- Rose Bowl: Pac-12 champ* vs. Big Ten champ*
- Sugar Bowl: SEC champ* vs. Big 12 champ*
- Orange Bowl: ACC champ* vs. highest-ranked of SEC/Big Ten/Notre Dame**
- Cotton Bowl: At-large vs. highest-ranked Group of 5***
* If a conference champion makes the Playoff, then that conference’s second-highest-ranked team will play.
** Using College Football Playoff rankings
*** The highest-ranked Group of 5 team must play in the Cotton Bowl because of existing conference tie-ins at the Rose, Sugar, Rose and Orange bowls.
MORE: College Football Playoff expansion, explained: How the 12-team format will work starting 2026
College Football Playoff semifinals
| Bowl | Stadium | Date |
| Peach Bowl | Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta) | Dec. 31, 2022 |
| Fiesta Bowl | State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Ariz.) | Dec. 31, 2022 |
New Year’s Day 6 bowls
| Bowl | Stadium | Date |
| Orange Bowl | Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Fla) | Dec. 30, 2022 |
| Sugar Bowl | Caesars Superdome (New Orleans) | Dec. 31, 2022 |
| Cotton Bowl | AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas) | Jan. 2, 2023 |
| Rose Bowl | Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.) | Jan. 2, 2023 |
Where is the CFP championship game in 2022?
- Location: SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, Calif.)
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
This year’s College Football Championship game is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 9 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. It will be the first time the championship is held at that venue, which also hosted Super Bowl 56 between the Rams and Bengals.
Lowest-ranked team in initial rankings to make Playoff
For the sixth straight year in a row, each of the 2021 College Football Playoff ranked no lower than ninth in the initial CFP rankings. The lowest-ranked team was No. 7 Michigan, following No. 6 Cincinnati, No. 2 Alabama and No. 1 Georgia.
The first two seasons were far more forgiving to teams not near the top of the pecking order in the initial rankings. The 2014 and 2015 seasons saw No. 16 and No. 15 Oklahoma make the Playoff, respectively.
| Season | Team | Initial CFP rank |
| 2014 | Ohio State | 16 |
| 2015 | Oklahoma | 15 |
| 2016 | Ohio State | 6 |
| 2017 | Oklahoma | 5 |
| 2018 | Oklahoma | 7 |
| 2019 | Oklahoma | 9 |
| 2020 | Ohio State | 4 |
| 2021 | Michigan | 7 |
MORE: College Football Playoff championship: Comparing title game to BCS, Super Bowl and more
Who is on the CFP committee?
The CFP committee features 13 members in 2022, with NC State athletic director Boo Corrigan is the chairman. Four new committee members were introduced for the 2022 season as well, including Chet Gladchuk (Navy athletic director), Jim Grobe (former coach at three FBS institutions), Warde Manuel (Michigan athletic director) and Kelly Whiteside (associate professor at Montclair State)
Below is the full list of members for 2022, and their respective titles:
| Member | Title |
| Boo Corrigan (Chairman) | N.C. State athletic director |
| Mitch Barnhart | Kentucky athletic director |
| Tom Burman | Wyoming athletic director |
| Rick George | Colorado athletic director |
| Chet Gladchuck | Navy athletic director |
| Jim Grobe | Former Ohio, Wake Forest, Baylor coach |
| Warde Manuel | Michigan athletic director |
| Will Shields | Former Nebraska All-American |
| Gene Taylor | Kansas State athletic director |
| Joe Taylor | Virginia Union athletic director |
| John Urschel | Georgia Tech athletic director |
| Rod West | Former Sugar Bowl president, Notre Dame TE, LB |
| Kelly Whiteside | Associate professor, Montclair State |
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