IRVING, Texas — Several weeks after the College Football Playoff announced the decision to delay its final rankings show for the upcoming college football season, the full schedule for each of the rankings shows this fall has now been unveiled. The College Football Playoff announced on Monday that the first rankings show of the 2020 season will now air on Tuesday, Nov. 17, with ensuing shows on Nov. 24, Dec. 1, Dec. 8 and Dec. 15 before the selection show is held on Sunday, Dec. 20.
The initial rankings show for the 2020 season was originally scheduled to be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3, and the selection show on Sunday, Dec. 6. But previous decisions and delays by conferences -- some now playing their conference title games potentially as late as Dec. 19 -- forced the playoff to delay its final rankings until Dec. 20, a move that was previously announced on Aug. 5.
“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,” CFP Executive Director Bill Hancock said in a statement earlier in August. "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.”
The 2020 season will be the seventh season of the College Football Playoff, which replaced the BCS system in time for the 2014 season. Ohio State won the inaugural event at the end of the 2014 season. Clemson and Alabama are the only teams to have won the national title multiple times in the playoff era, with the Tigers prevailing during the 2016 and 2018 seasons, and Alabama in 2015 and 2017. LSU enters the 2020 season as the defending national champion.
The 2020 college football schedule has been significantly altered by the COVID-19 pandemic, with all Power 5 conferences modifying their football schedules to some degree as a result of the ongoing crisis. The Big 12, SEC and ACC are moving forward with fall seasons, while the Big Ten and Pac-12 have postponed with hopes of playing in the spring. It was previously reported that the College Football Playoff was committed to maintaining a fall schedule despite the Big Ten and Pac-12 decisions. The Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl are slated to host the semifinal matchups for this year's playoff, with both being held on their traditional Jan. 1 dates. The College Football Playoff National Championship Game is scheduled to be held on Jan. 11 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.