College Football Playoff 2020: Breaking Down Format, Bowl Predictions and More

Within 12 hours of the college football regular season ending, all of the postseason matchups will be set, including the College Football Playoff. 

Tuesday's latest CFB Playoff rankings release gave us a good idea of which teams will head to the Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl on New Years' Day. 

The Alabama Crimson Tide, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Clemson Tigers and Ohio State Buckeyes established a clear top four over the last two months, and there is a chance they are the four playoff squads. 

For that to happen, Clemson needs to beat Notre Dame in the ACC Championship Game, which could trigger a two-spot drop for the Irish from No. 2. 

If that occurs, the Texas A&M Aggies and a few other programs will get shut out of the playoff and be sent to the New Year's Six, which will play a supporting role to the playoff during the second week of bowl season.

The first week of bowl matchups is already set with Group of Five teams. The rest of the bowl matchups will be unveiled on Sunday afternoon once the playoff teams are determined.

CFB Playoff Format

The CFB Playoff uses a rotation of six marquee bowl games to play its semifinals at. 

This season's rotation lands on the Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl. The National Championship Game will be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, which also hosts the Orange Bowl. 

Typically, the No. 1 seed plays at its preferred location, or is assigned a closer road trip by the selection committee. 

For example, the LSU Tigers played at the Peach Bowl for their national semifinal last season instead of shipping out to Arizona for the Fiesta Bowl. 

Bowl Predictions

College Football Playoff

Sugar Bowl (January 1): No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Notre Dame

Rose Bowl (January 1): No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Ohio State

If this scenario comes to fruition, the Sugar and Rose Bowls would host teams from the conferences that play there in non-playoff years. 

With an SEC Championship Game win over the Florida Gators, Alabama can solidify its No. 1 ranking and make the short trip to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl.

If the Ohio State Buckeyes capture the Big Ten Championship Game, they will avoid Alabama and head to the Rose Bowl, like the Big Ten champion does in a typical year. 

If Clemson defeats Notre Dame, the Tigers would likely move from No. 3 to No. 2 because they would have the better final victory in comparison to Ohio State. 

Dabo Swinney's side improved in the two games it played since losing to Notre Dame on November 7, as it got Trevor Lawrence and a few defensive players back. 

Clemson's main issue in the first matchup with Notre Dame was containing Ian Book and Kyren Williams. Backup quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei turned in a solid performance by leading the Tigers to 40 points in the double-overtime defeat. 

In the last three years, Clemson held its ACC Championship Game opponents to a total of 30 points. Of course, Notre Dame is a higher-caliber team than those sides, but the Tigers know how to play better defense as the calendar moves into championship season.

If Notre Dame loses by a small margin, the selection committee could be inclined to keep it in the top four and align it with Alabama in a clash of two of the sport's most recognizable brands. 

Texas A&M has to hope for a blowout win by Clemson, or an upset elsewhere, to have a clear path into the final four.

New Year's 6

Cotton Bowl (December 30): Iowa State vs. Florida

Peach Bowl (January 1): Georgia vs. Cincinnati

Fiesta Bowl (January 2): USC vs. Indiana

Orange Bowl (January 2): Texas A&M vs. North Carolina

A handful of conference championship games will determine the final New Year's Six matchups.

The Big 12 champion will likely head to the Cotton Bowl, while the Pac-12 winner is destined to land in the Fiesta Bowl with the Rose Bowl off the table. 

If the Cincinnati Bearcats remain undefeated, they would be the best Group of Five team and head to the Peach Bowl, where a matchup with one of the Top 10 SEC teams likely awaits. 

The one scenario to watch is what happens to Florida if it loses to Alabama and drops a second straight result. The committee dropped the Gators one spot following their upset defeat to LSU. If they lose again, the committee may change its mind and move it away from a New Year's Six at-large berth.

That situation may open the door for the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers to be the second Group of Five team into the New Years' Six. The Sun Belt side landed at No. 12 on Tuesday and could move up a spot or two depending on Saturday's results. 

Confirmed Bowl Matchups

Myrtle Beach Bowl (December 21): North Texas vs. Appalachian State

Idaho Potato Bowl (December 22): Tulane vs. Nevada

Boca Raton Bowl (December 22): BYU vs. UCF

New Orleans Bowl (December 23): Louisiana Tech vs. Georgia Southern

Montgomery Bowl (December 23): Memphis vs. Florida Atlantic

New Mexico Bowl (December 24): Hawaii vs. Houston

LendingTree Bowl (December 26): Western Kentucky vs. Georgia State 

Independence Bowl (December 26): Army vs. Pac-12

First Responder Bowl (December 26): UTSA vs. Big 12