A new change has emerged for the second year of the 12-team College Football Playoff.
On Thursday, CFP executives unanimously agreed to adopt a straight seeding format for the upcoming season, as reported by Yahoo Sports.
Teams will now be ranked 1-12 based solely on the selection committee’s rankings, eliminating the previous practice of reserving the top four seeds for conference champions.
Under this new format, the top four seeds will receive byes directly into the quarterfinals.
The decision to shift to a straight seeding format for the 12-team College Football Playoff was approved by the management committee, consisting of the 10 FBS conference commissioners and Notre Dame’s athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, following issues with last season’s unbalanced bracket.
For example, Boise State secured the No. 3 seed despite Texas and Penn State, both with 11 wins, facing tougher schedules. Boise State’s Mountain West championship win, combined with the rule prioritizing the highest-ranked conference champions, gave them an advantage.
Last season’s first-round byes went to Oregon, Boise State, Arizona, and Georgia, but none advanced past the quarterfinals. Oregon, the Big Ten champion, faced eighth-seeded Ohio State in the Rose Bowl and lost decisively, 41-21, to the eventual national champions.
Oregon’s coach, Dan Lanning, didn’t attribute the loss to the seeding format, stating, “We had an opportunity. We didn’t take advantage of the opportunity. I am not going to make excuses for our opportunity.”
The vote also retained significant payouts for the top four conference champions.
The four highest-ranked conference champions are still set to receive $8 million each this year—$4 million for winning their conference and $4 million for reaching the quarterfinals—even if they aren’t among the top four seeds.
Starting in 2026, however, the College Football Playoff will shift to a new revenue-distribution model, with conferences receiving a base amount instead of performance-based payouts.
Further changes, including potential expansion of the playoff field, are expected to be discussed, as the contract for the 12-team playoff format expires after the 2025 season.
SOURCES: YahooSports, NewYorkPost
Leave a Reply