It is not often Paul Finebaum says something that I agree with, but it has happened.

During his show on the SEC Network on Friday, Finebaum said he is not a fan of the 12-team College Football Playoff, particularly when it comes to seeding. He feels the teams should be re-seeded after each round to ensure a fairer and balanced system.

I know it’s crazy, but I agree with him.

For instance, why in the world was Oregon, the Big Ten Champion and top seed, playing Ohio State in the quarterfinals. That was not right.

It would have been like the Kansas City Chiefs playing the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs. It did not make sense.

As Finebaum suggested, the CFP should have re-seeded its participants after the first-round playoff games.

The NFL has always re-seeded its playoff participants after each round based off who won. If a lower seed team upset a higher seed, then the next round was adjusted to where the higher seeded teams remaining are playing the lower seeded teams.

Makes sense, right?

Remember, using the CFP rankings, No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Georgia, No. 9 Bosie State and No. 12 Arizona State earned first round byes as the top four ranked conference champions. Clemson, the No. 5 ranked conference champion, played No. 3 Texas on the road.

The winners of the first-round games were Texas, No. 6 Ohio State, No. 5 Notre Dame and No. 4 Penn State. Below is what I think the CFP Quarterfinals should have looked like.

  • 1 Oregon vs. 12 Arizona State in the Rose Bowl
  • 2 Georgia vs. 9 Boise State in the Sugar Bowl
  • 3 Texas vs. 6 Ohio State in the Peach Bowl
  • 4 Penn State vs. 5. Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl

If we got chalk in the quarterfinals, then Penn State would have played Oregon in the Orange Bowl, while Georgia would have played Texas in the Cotton Bowl in the semifinals. If there was an upset in the quarterfinals, let’s say Arizona State beat Oregon, then Georgia would have played Arizona State in the Orange Bowl, while Texas and Penn State would have face off in the Cotton Bowl.

If Oregon and Georgia lost, then Texas would host Arizona State in Cotton Bowl and Penn State would face Boise State in the Orange Bowl. Either way, you have intriguing quarterfinal matchups and most importantly the top seed is not eliminated from the CFP in the quarterfinals because they are facing a squad they should not be facing until the semifinals or championship game.

The CFP is governed by its management committee, consisting of 10 conference commissioners and Notre Dame’s athletic director, as well as a board of managers, comprising 11 university presidents and chancellors.

I do not think anything will be tweaked this year in the CFP because they have to have a unanimous vote to make any significant changes. However, changes will likely affect the 2026-’27 season.