Power Four and Notre Dame Athletic Directors Unanimously Agree to Seeding Change for the College Football Playoff

Changes are coming to the College Football Playoff, and it’s going to happen this season. 

Earlier on Thursday, the College Football Playoff Committee — the 10 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) athletic directors and Notre Dame AD Pete Bevacqua — announced the move to a 12-team straight seeding system.

Under the new straight seeding system, the top four seeds will receive a first-round bye in the CFP. The move is a departure from last season’s 12-team system which saw conference champions received a first-round bye regardless of where they were ranked according to the CFP committee. For example, Arizona State was seeded No. 4 because they won the Big XII conference despite being ranked as the No. 12 team by the committee at the end of the season. This pushed No. 3 ranked Penn State and No. 4 ranked Texas into lower seeds despite being higher ranked. 

The initial push for straight seeding came from the Big Ten and Southeastern Conferences and was not met with enthusiasm from other conference representatives. However, since the initial March proposal by the Big Ten and SEC, the idea of straight seeding has gained support among other conference officials particularly from other Power Four conferences, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Big 12. ACC commissioner told ESPN as much earlier on Thursday saying the conferences “all have a responsibility to serve our constituents while also being mindful as to what’s best for college football. Today’s decision was done in the best interest of the sport. It may not always benefit the ACC, but it was the right decision and that’s a responsibility I take very seriously.”

The new system will begin with the 2025 College Football Playoff.

The Future of the College Football Playoff

The 2025 College Football Playoff could be the last version played under the current 12-team setup. 

There has been increasing pressure from the Big Ten and SEC to expand the College Football Playoff to 14-teams or ideally 16-teams beginning with the 2026 College Football Playoff. Under a 14 or 16-team setup, the Power Four conferences – more specifically the Big Ten and SEC– will likely receive multiple automatic qualifiers for the CFP. While this doesn’t sit well with the ACC, Big 12, or Group of Six schools, the other option – being on the outside looking in and losing millions of dollars – is much worse. 

If the 14 or 16-team system were used last season, the CFP would’ve had the additions of Alabama, Miami (FL), Ole Miss, and South Carolina or BYU. In other words, teams that bring eyeballs to the TV and more money into the pockets of their respective leagues.

About the College Football Playoff

The College Football Playoff was formed for the 2014 season replacing the Bowl Champions Series (BCS). 

A four-team “knockout” tournament existed from the CFP’s inception in 2014 through the 2023 season. The semifinal games would be rotated between six traditional New Year’s Day bowl games: the Cotton Bowl (Dallas), Fiesta Bowl (Phoenix), Orange Bowl (Miami Gardens), Peach Bowl (Atlanta), Rose Bowl (Pasadena), and Sugar Bowl (New Orleans) with a National Championship Game played at a neutral site. 

Prior to the 2024 college football season, the CFP committee voted to expand the College Football Playoff to 12-teams with the four highest seeds receiving a bye into the second round. Under this format playoff games were hosted on campus for the first time ever with the NY6 bowl game sites hosting the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. 

The 12-team playoff will be used again for the 2025 season.