The time for debating which teams belong in the College Football Playoff and which teams should be seeded higher is over.

It's time to start the actual games.

The inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff is slated to begin Friday with the first of four opening-round games that are played on different campuses. Here is a look at the full schedule as the 12 teams battle for the national championship.

First-Round Games

• Friday, Dec. 20: No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame (-7.5), 8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN/Watch ESPN
• Saturday, Dec. 21: No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State (-8.5), 12 p.m. ET, TNT/Max
• Saturday, Dec. 21: No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas (-12), 4 p.m. ET, TNT/Max
• Saturday, Dec. 21: No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State (-7), 8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN/Watch ESPN

*Odds are courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook, as of Monday at 4 p.m. ET.

Second-Round Games

• Tuesday, Dec. 31: No. 3 Boise State vs. No. 6 Penn State/No. 11 SMU at the Fiesta Bowl, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/Watch ESPN
• Wednesday, Jan. 1: No. 4 Arizona State vs. No. 5 Texas/No. 12 Clemson at the Peach Bowl, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN/Watch ESPN
• Wednesday, Jan. 1: No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 8 Ohio State/No. 9 Tennessee at the Rose Bowl, 5 p.m. ET, ESPN/Watch ESPN
• Wednesday, Jan. 1: No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 7 Notre Dame/No. 10 Indiana at the Sugar Bowl, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN/Watch ESPN

Semifinals

• Thursday, Jan. 9: TBD vs. TBD at the Orange Bowl, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/Watch ESPN
• Friday, Jan. 10: TBD vs. TBD at the Cotton Bowl, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/Watch ESPN

National Championship Game

• Monday, Jan. 20: TBD vs. TBD at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/Watch ESPN

National Champion Prediction: Oregon Ducks

There have been narratives this season that there are no dominant teams and that Penn State got an easier path to the semifinals for losing to Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game than the No. 1 Ducks got for winning the conference title.

None of it is going to matter on Jan. 20.

Oregon was a dominant team this season, and it has an undefeated record and three wins over teams in the CFP (Boise State, Ohio State and Penn State) to prove it. Had an SEC powerhouse like Georgia or Alabama finished the season as the only undefeated team in the nation, there would be no suggestions there wasn't a dominant team.

Alas, the Ducks are going to eliminate any doubt when they win it all.

The cliche of defense wins championships doesn't ring entirely true in the CFP era, as the winner of nine of the 10 national championship games since moving on from the BCS has scored more than 30 points. Six of those teams scored more than 40 points.

A high-flying offense that can throw the first punch and keep swinging is the best way to win in the modern era of college football, and Oregon brings just that to the table.

Quarterback Dillon Gabriel was a Heisman Trophy finalist and may have won the award in a different season without a two-way star in Colorado's Travis Hunter and Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty doing his best Barry Sanders impression standing in his way.

The Ducks put up 37 points against Boise State, 32 points against Ohio State, 38 points against a Michigan defense that was strong despite the team's record and 45 points against Penn State.

Even when the defense allowed 37 points to the Nittany Lions and 31 points to the Buckeyes, Gabriel and an unstoppable group of skill players that includes running back Jordan James and wide receivers Tez Johnson and Evan Stewart made enough plays to come away with victories.

That is the formula the Ducks will have to follow once again in the CFP, and they consistently proved they can succeed in such a fashion during their most important games of the year.

Look for Gabriel to lift the trophy as a national champion in Atlanta.