As the College Football Playoff enters its second year with a 12-team format, the 2025 season could bring significant changes to how the teams are seeded on Selection Day. The current structure, introduced for the first time in 2024, has sparked widespread feedback and debate among fans, analysts, and conference leaders.
Changes Coming to the College Football Playoff?
At the center of the controversy is the seeding process, which some believe unfairly favored the SEC and Big 10 conference championship runner-ups while putting certain conference champion teams at a disadvantage.
The most glaring criticism came from how the format handled first-round byes. In 2024, conference champions from the Big Ten, SEC, Mountain West, and Big 12 were given priority for the top four byes, regardless of their overall ranking.
This led to unusual scenarios, such as the Arizona State Sun Devils, the Big 12 champion, and the Boise State Broncos, the Mountain West champions, receiving a first-round bye over multiple higher-ranked teams.
Meanwhile, the Big Ten and SEC champions faced tougher paths through the bracket than their respective runners-up, raising questions about fairness and competitiveness.
“We had good intentions for doing things the way we did things,” one FBS commissioner said, acknowledging the backlash. “But when you actually have real-life examples and see how they pan out, we may need to look at that.”
This idea has gained traction among FBS leaders, who recently met in Atlanta to discuss potential changes. Although the group tabled the more substantive discussions for a meeting scheduled on Feb. 25 in Dallas, they appear increasingly open to re-evaluating the seeding criteria.
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One of the most discussed proposals is a shift away from awarding first-round byes exclusively to conference champions. Instead, the committee’s top four teams == regardless of conference — could earn those coveted spots.
Such a change would address some of the frustrations voiced during the first year of the expanded playoff. Fans argue that prioritizing conference champions, even those from weaker conferences or with less impressive records, ruins the competitive nature of the tournament.
However, this proposal is not by any means an easy task. Altering the seeding rules requires unanimous agreement among the 10 FBS commissioners, a challenge that is much easier said than done.
“One of the many politically interesting conversations we’ll have,” a source for ESPN’s Heather Dinich described the upcoming February meeting, hinting at potential disagreements among commissioners. Publicly, the idea of awarding byes to the top four ranked teams has been divisive, with some leaders defending the importance of conference championships.
While no official decisions have been made, the discussions reveal a willingness to adapt the playoff format to better the postseason of college football. The outcome of these talks could have large implications for how teams are rewarded for their regular-season performances and how the CFP continues to evolve.
For now, fans and teams alike will have to wait until the February meeting to see whether the FBS leaders can find a solution. What is certain, however, is that the seeding process will remain one of the most polarizing aspects of the 12-team playoff as it enters its second year.
With the stakes higher than ever and more teams earning a shot at a national title, the College Football Playoff’s seeding rules will be pivotal in ensuring fairness, excitement, and competitive balance in the years to come.
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