As it turns out, major changes to next season’s College Football Playoff are coming after all.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger, CFP executives have approved the adoption of a straight-seeding model. The change marks a significant shift from the previous format, which awarded its four first-round byes to the highest ranking conference champions.
While the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff was widely considered a success (especially in Ohio), the format’s debut also quickly led to calls for it to adjust its seeding structure. With none of the teams ranked 3-8 being conference champions, No. 9 Boise State and No. 12 Arizona State joined No. 1 Oregon and No. 2 Georgia in automatically advancing to the quarterfinals, a setup that many felt didn’t reflect college football’s regular season.
The most obvious solution suggested by those who wanted to see a change was for the CFP to do away with its requirement that the four first-round byes go to conference champions. Adopting a straight-seeding model in time for the next season’s playoff, however, would prove easier said than done, as it required all-involved stakeholders — including the conferences who stand to benefit from the current format — to agree to such a change.
As a result, most who cover the sport seemed to agree that any significant changes to next season’s playoff were unlikely.
“All of my sources have told me that within the room, everyone agrees that the seeding should change for the College Football Playoff,” ESPN’s Heather Dinich told The Pat McAfee Show earlier this month. “But they’re not ready to vote on it, because there’s politics involved.”
It appears those politics have since been sorted out.
Based on Dellenger’s reporting, such changes were made viable as the result of a financial compromise made by the conferences. According to Dellenger, the agreement calls for the playoff to distribute the same revenue ($8 million) to the four highest-ranking conference champions, even if they don’t receive a bye via a top-four ranking.
While the original 12-team playoff seeding format added a level of unpredictability to tournament — and also gave us the thrilling Texas vs. Arizona State quarterfinal matchup — it’s not surprising that the more powerful conferences would want greater access to first-round byes. It’s also worth noting that the wonky nature of last year’s seeding ultimately punished the No. 1 Ducks and No. 2 Bulldogs, who were forced to play tougher opponents in the quarterfinals (they lost to Ohio State and Notre Dame, respectively) than they would have under a straight-seeding format.
Despite the significant nature of the adjustments however, the changes will likely only be temporary. With the current College Football Playoff contract set to expire after the upcoming season, all indications are that we will be getting a new — and presumably bigger — format as early as 2026.