The first College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings of the COVID-stricken 2020 season will be released Tuesday night. The rankings by a special panel are only a reflection of the crazy season to this point, and a bookmark on how to navigate rankings over the next month before the final playoff is set and bowl pairings are announced.
Here are ways to watch, or live stream, the first CFP rankings of the 2020 season.
What: College Football Playoff Rankings
Date: November 24, 2020
Time: 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: ESPN App
What's Important?: The College Football Playoff matches the No. 1 ranked team vs. No. 4, and No. 2 vs. No. 3 in semifinal games that rotate annually among six bowl games – the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, PlayStation Fiesta Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Allstate Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl Game.
This season's Playoff Semifinals will take place Friday, January 1, 2021, at the Rose Bowl Game and the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The College Football Playoff National Championship will be Monday, January 11, 2021, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Who are the top teams to watch?
Newsweek initiated a Top 20 ranking this season, and they have whittled their way down in the last 12 weeks of college football. The 2020 season has been unlike any other, as some teams began in earlySeptember, some later that month, some in late October and others in early November.
Now that the committee has gotten to see every conference play, it will create a sliding scale on how to rank and rate teams.
Here is the Newsweek Top 2020
1 | Alabama | 7-0 |
2 | Notre Dame | 8-0 |
3 | Ohio State | 4-0 |
4 | Clemson | 7-1 |
5 | Texas A&M | 5-1 |
6 | Florida | 6-1 |
7 | Cincinnati | 8-0 |
8 | BYU | 9-0 |
9 | Oregon | 3-0 |
10 | Iowa State | 6-2 |
11 | Northwestern | 5-0 |
12 | Miami (Fla.) | 7-1 |
13 | Indiana | 4-1 |
14 | Oklahoma | 6-2 |
15 | Georgia | 5-2 |
16 | Coastal Carolina | 8-0 |
17 | USC | 3-0 |
18 | Marshall | 7-0 |
19 | Wisconsin | 2-1 |
20 | Oklahoma State | 5-2 |
There will be a slew of games this weekend, and the following three weekends, culminating with the conference championship weekend scheduled for Dec. 18-19. The final CFP rankings are scheduled to be released Sunday, Dec. 20.
Newsweek's College Football Playoff Prediction
- Alabama
- Notre Dame
- Ohio State
- Clemson
The COVID-19 global pandemic has hampered and delayed much of the sports season, including college football. The coronavirus led to a shutdown of sports in America, and eventually the world, beginning early this year in March.
Though football season from the previous year had already concluded, the virus shutdown spring football in college, OTAs in the NFL, and the annual NFL Draft, which was eventually held virtually.
Football seasons have begun, but with limited, or no fans.
The college championship is scheduled for Miami and the Super Bowl is set for Tampa, both in the state of Florida, which still allows fans at games.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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