MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The College Football Playoff selection committee will determine the four participants for postseason competition two weeks later this year, but the national championship date in South Florida remains unchanged.
College Football Playoff Executive Director Bill Hancock announced the changes for the 2020 season Wednesday.
The final rankings, originally scheduled for release Dec. 6, will instead be released Dec. 20 to accommodate several conferences pushing their championship games back to later in December.
Three of the Power 5 conferences -- the Big Ten, Pacific 12 and Southeastern conferences -- previously announced that member schools will play conference-only schedules in 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The Atlantic Coast and Big 12 conferences have adopted a plus-one model, allowing each team to play one nonconference game.
"With recent schedule changes for the regular season, it makes sense for the committee to make its final rankings after the conference championship games, when it can get a complete picture of the season," Hancock said. "The selection committee members understand the need to be flexible as we all navigate uncharted waters this season, and this move will allow them to evaluate all the available information."
Also, media day ahead of the College Football Playoff National Championship game has been canceled as postseason travel time for the participating teams will be shortened.
The semifinals and CFP National Championship will still be played as scheduled. The Rose and Sugar bowls, which will serve as semifinal sites this season, are scheduled for New Year's Day, while the national title game at Hard Rock Stadium is still scheduled to be played Jan. 11.
