The College Football Playoff (CFP) is adopting a straight seeding model for the 2025 season, as unanimously approved by the CFP management committee on Thursday.
Under this new format, the top four teams in the selection committee’s final rankings will receive first-round byes, regardless of conference championship status, replacing the previous system where the four highest-ranked conference champions automatically earned these byes.
This change addresses last season’s controversial seeding, where lower-ranked conference champions like Boise State (No. 9) and Arizona State (No. 12) received byes over higher-ranked teams like Texas and Penn State.
The new format also features direct seeding for the 12-team bracket based on the CFP Selection Committee’s final rankings. That means the entire field will be seeded into the playoff with their respective final ranking.
“After evaluating the first year of the 12-team Playoff, the CFP Management Committee felt it was in the best interest of the game to make this adjustment,” said Rich Clark, executive director of the College Football Playoff. “This change will continue to allow guaranteed access to the Playoff by rewarding teams for winning their conference championship, but it will also allow us to construct a postseason bracket that recognizes the best performance on the field during the entire regular season.”
The five highest-ranked conference champions will still secure automatic playoff bids, and a financial compromise ensures the four highest-ranked champions receive an $8 million payout, even if they don’t get a bye. This shift aims to create a more merit-based bracket, aligning seeds directly with rankings to avoid unbalanced matchups.
Below is more from the CFP on the playoff operational policies:
• The ranking of the teams will continue to be done by a selection committee.
• The teams ranked Nos. 5-12 will play in the CFP First Round with the higher seeds hosting the lower seeds either on campus or at other sites designated by the higher-seeded institution (No. 12 at No. 5, No. 11 at No. 6, No. 10 at No. 7 and No. 9 at No. 8.).
• The four highest-ranked teams will be assigned to Playoff Quarterfinals bowls on Selection Day in ranking order and in consideration of current contract bowl relationships (for example: if the highest-ranked team is from the Big Ten, that team would be assigned to the Rose Bowl Game).
• The No. 1 seed would receive preferential placement based on geography for the Playoff Semifinal site assignment.
Discussions for a potential 14-or 16-team bracket with multiple automatic qualifiers per conference are ongoing for 2026.
Last month, it was announced that the College Football Playoff quarterfinals begin on New Year’s Eve (Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025) with the CFP Quarterfinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, at 7:30pm ET on ESPN.
Quarterfinal round action continues on New Year’s Day, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, with games at the Capital One Orange Bowl in Miami Gardens, Fla. (noon ET, ESPN), Rose Bowl Game in Pasadena, Calif. (4:00pm ET, ESPN), and Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, La. (8:00pm ET, ESPN).
The College Football Playoff Semifinals this season will be played on consecutive weeknights in January. The Vrbo Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz., is up first on Thursday, Jan. 8, followed by the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta, Ga., on Friday, Jan. 9. Both games will be televised by ESPN at 7:30pm ET.
The College Football National Championship concludes the college football season on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. The two playoff semifinal winners will meet at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium and the game will be televised by ESPN at 7:30pm ET.
College Football Playoff Schedule
Comparing the real 2024 CFP bracket with one under the new seeding format 👀 pic.twitter.com/AkW9g8ZGey
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) May 22, 2025
So now get punished for playing in conference championship as winning it won’t guarantee anything! In fact be better NOT to Play it. Save wearing out your players & also help avoid unnecessary injuries!!! As usually the more try fix the problems with playoffs the WORST they make it!!! Didn’t watch many games this last season & NOW WIPE OUT ENTIRE CONFERENCE SCHEDULE DUE TO MAKE IT MEANLESS!!! THANKS FOR ADDITIONAL FREE TIME AROUND CHRISTMAS & basically entire Fall!!!
Robert College Football NEEDS conference games during regular season that is heart & soul of it plus it gives Fans choices what they want to watch over airwaves on any given Saturday.
A non-Big Ten/SEC team is guaranteed a playoff berth by winning their CCG
(assumption being a Big Ten or SEC loser would be an automatic selection anyway)
I hope that Conference Championship Games are done away with. With the expanded playoff, there’s no need for them.
@Evan–as long as they make $$$,m the conf championship games are staying. I’d love to see them go, but it is unlikely.
Pardon Me John Furgele & Evan I am a Fan of Conference Championship Game.
I do respect you gentlemen on not being a Fan of CCG we are intitled to our opinion always excellent work guys.