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:

BENDER: New, inclusive 12-team College Football Playoff works on every level

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:

  • The third 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

New Year’s Day 6 bowls

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.

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: