The College Football Playoffs committee, which is made up of the 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame’s Athletic Director, have approved a straight seeding model for the 2025 season. The new model will give the committee’s top 4 selections first round byes this fall.
The previous system saw the 4 highest ranked conference champions earn the top 4 seeds, regardless of where they were ranked. The new model will still see the 5 highest ranked conference champions receiving guaranteed spots in the playoffs. The committee reached a unanimous agreement when the group met late Thursday afternoon.
“We all have a responsibility to serve our constituents while also being mindful as to what’s best for college football,” ACC commissioner Jim Phillips told reporters. “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 move comes after Boise State and Arizona State both received top 4 rankings in last year’s bracket. Had a straight seeding model been used, Oregon, Georgia, Texas and Penn State would have been ranked 1-4 respectively.
Additional changes are expected for the 2026 season, which may see the field expand once again from 12 to 16 teams. A current proposal that seems to be gaining momentum is a “4-4-2-2-1” model which would see the SEC and Big Ten receive 4 automatic qualifiers, and the Big 12 and ACC receiving 2 apiece. The final guaranteed spot would go t the highest ranked Group of Six conference champion, with 3 spots reserved for “at-large” teams.
That model, however, is far from a lock to be approved for next year. Reports indicate that the non-SEC and Big Ten conferences have many concerns with the format, while the nation’s two most prestigious conferences have indicated they may consider leaving the CFP model altogether unless significant revenue concessions are made in their favour.
All in all, the CFP landscape appears to be headed towards a pivotal stretch, with more questions than answers beyond the 2025 college campaign.
Photo: Bobak Ha’Eri. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.