The road to the college football national championship has never been so long as it is this season – at least in terms of post season games and the calendar. 

The first round of the College Football Playoff takes place on December 20-21. A champion will be crowned a month later, with the national championship game on Monday, January 20, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. 

The 12 College Football Playoff teams come from the SEC, Big 12, B1G, ACC, and Mountain West. But in terms of miles traveled to get his far, the disparity between the schools is remarkable. 

RELATED: Ultimate College Football Playoff and Bowl Betting Guide

No team in the College Football Playoff has traveled more miles to reach this stage of the season than the Oregon Ducks. In their first year in the B1G, the Ducks covered 16,338.38 miles from stadium to stadium and crossed 22 time zones. That includes their 3808.88-mile round trip to the B1G title game against Penn State in Indianapolis. 

On the other end of the list are the Clemson Tigers. Ranked No. 11 in the College Football Playoff Poll, Clemson traveled just 2,709.96 miles this season. Clemson won the ACC championship game in Charlotte, North Carolina, and never left the Eastern Time Zone all season. 

College Football Playoff Team-By-Team Miles Traveled In 2024

Here is a rundown of the miles traveled by each of the 12 teams in the College Football Playoff this season. Teams are listed by their seeding in the Playoff, and listed with miles traveled, time zones crossed (TZ), upcoming miles in the College Football Playoff by round, total miles to be traveled (Miles +) and odds to win the national championship.   

College Football Playoff Schedule + Odds 

Here is a breakdown of the upcoming College Football Playoff schedule, with the latest betting odds:

Round 1 - Friday, December, 20

(10) Indiana at (7) Notre Dame 
8 p.m., Notre Dame Stadium 
TV: ABC/ESPN 
Odds: Notre Dame -7.5
Money line: Notre Dame (-290); Indiana (+235)
O/U: 51.5 (O -105; U -115)

Round 1 - Saturday, December, 21

(11) SMU at (7) Penn State
12 p.m., Beaver Stadium 
TV: TNT/MAX 
Odds: Penn State -8.5
Money line: SMU (+250); Penn State (-310)
O/U: 54 (O -108; U -112)

(12) Clemson at (5) Texas
4 p.m., DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium 
TV: TNT/MAX 
Odds: Texas -11
Money line: Clemson (+310); Texas (-395)
O/U: 51.5 (O -108; U -112)

(9) Tennessee at (8) Ohio State
8 p.m., Ohio Stadium 
TV: ABC/ESPN 
Odds: Ohio State -7.5
Money line: Tennessee (+230); Ohio State (-285)
O/U: 47 (O -110; U -110)

Quarterfinal: Tuesday, December 31

Fiesta Bowl
Penn State/SMU vs (3) Boise State
7:30 p.m., State Farm Stadium 
TV: ESPN
Odds: Penn State -12.5 vs Boise State
SMU -5.5 vs Boise State
Money line: TBD
O/U: TBD

Quarterfinal: Wednesday, January 1

Peach Bowl
Texas/Clemson vs (4) Arizona State
1 p.m., Mercedes-Benz Stadium 
TV: ESPN
Odds: Texas -11.5 vs Arizona State
Clemson -4.5 vs. Arizona State
Money line: TBD
O/U: TBD

Rose Bowl
Tennessee/Ohio State vs (1) Oregon
5 p.m., Rose Bowl  
TV: ESPN
Odds: Oregon -6.5 vs. Tennessee
Oregon -1.5 vs. Ohio State
Money line: TBD
O/U: TBD

Sugar Bowl
Notre Dame/Indiana vs (2) Georgia
8:45 p.m., Caesars Superdome   
TV: ESPN
Odds: Notre Dame -2 vs Georgia  
Georgia -6.5 vs Indiana
Money line: TBD
O/U: TBD

Semifinal: Thursday, January 9 

Orange Bowl
TBD vs TBD
7:30 p.m., Hard Rock Stadium   
TV: ESPN
Odds: TBD 
Money line: TBD
O/U: TBD

Semifinal: Friday, January 10

Cotton Bowl
TBD vs TBD
7:30 p.m., AT&T Stadium 
TV: ESPN
Odds: TBD 
Money line: TBD
O/U: TBD

National Championship - Monday January 20

National Championship Game
TBD vs TBD
7:30 p.m., Mercedes-Benz Stadium 
TV: ESPN
Odds: TBD 
Money line: TBD
O/U: TBD

College Football Teams Playoff Miles Traveled Analysis

The field was set following the conference championship games and the final College Football Playoff rankings announced on December 7. The highest-ranked conference champions: Oregon (B1G), Georgia (SEC), Boise State (Mountain West), and Arizona State (Big 12) – all received first-round byes. They automatically advanced to the quarterfinals. The 6 quarterfinal and semifinal games are the traditional New Year’s Bowl Games. The 4 quarterfinals are the Orange, Fiesta, Rose, and Peach Bowls. The national semifinal games will be the Orange and Cotton Bowls. 

The national championship game is just that – it’s not tied to any bowl. But its site will rotate among the 6 New Year’s Bowl sites. This year, it will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. 

The No. 2 seed Georgia Bulldogs began Week 1 of the College Football Betting Season with a win over Clemson at the Aflac Kickoff Classic at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Bulldogs beat Texas 22-19 in OT to win the SEC Championship on the same field. A national championship win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium would give the Dawgs a three-leg parlay for the ages.