The first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff is officially set, and the expanded format is already delivering history-making moments — none bigger than Tulane punching its ticket to the national championship race.

Tulane becomes the first Group of Five program to earn a spot in the new playoff structure, sealing its bid as the highest-ranked conference champion outside the power leagues. It marks a landmark moment for the Green Wave program and a major victory for the American Athletic Conference.

On the other end of the spectrum, the SEC will be heavily represented, sending four teams into the 12-team field — underscoring the league’s continued dominance in the college football landscape. The SEC’s representatives include Georgia , Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Alabama.

The expanded bracket features automatic bids for the top six conference champions, plus six at-large selections. The top four conference champions receive first-round byes.

The new format means opening-round games will be played on campus, bringing playoff football to home stadiums for the first time. Higher-seeded teams will host, setting up what should be one of the most electric weekends the sport has ever seen.

For Tulane, the moment is historic — a chance to compete on the sport’s biggest stage after years of steady rise. The No. 11 seed Green Wave will faceoff with No. 6 seed Ole Miss at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford on Saturday, Dec. 20, at 2:30pm in a game that will be shown on TNT, the College Football Playoff Committee announced on Sunday morning. The winner will go on to face No. 3 Georgia (12-1) in the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1 at 7pm.

CFP Full Schedule:

First round
No. 9 Alabama (10-3) at No. 8 Oklahoma (10-2) – Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. (ESPN)
No 10 Miami (10-2) at No. 7 Texas A&M (11-1) – Dec. 20 at 11 a.m. (ESPN)
No. 11 Tulane (11-2) at No. 6 Ole Miss (11-1) – Dec. 20 at 2:30 p.m. (TNT)
No. 12 James Madison (12-1) at No. 5 Oregon – Dec. 20 at 6:30 p.m. (TNT)

Quarterfinals
Cotton Bowl – Miami – Texas A&M winner vs. No. 2 Ohio State (12-1) – Dec. 31 at 6:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Orange Bowl – James Madison – Oregon winner vs. No. 4 Texas Tech (12-1) – Jan. 1 at 11 a.m. (ESPN)
Rose Bowl – Alabama – Oklahoma winner vs. No. 1 Indiana (13-0) – Jan. 1 at 3 p.m. (ESPN)
Sugar Bowl – Tulane – Ole Miss winner vs. No. 3 Georgia (12-1) – Jan. 1 at 7 p.m. (ESPN)

Semifinals
Fiesta Bowl – Semifinals – Jan. 8 (ESPN)
Peach Bowl – Semifinals – Jan. 9 (ESPN)

Championship
College Football National Championship– Jan. 19 (ESPN) – Hard Rock Stadium