The first year of the new 12-team College Football Playoff format was widely regarded as a success.
Now, though, just one year since its official inception, changes might already be on the way. The way the bracket seeds its teams has been under scrutiny and a proposal to adjust that is in the works. Instead of allowing the four highest ranked conference champions to receive a bye, as it was in 2024, the new plan would be to award the coveted four byes simply to the highest ranked overall teams.
This proposed change could go into effect as soon as this next season and if it does, it’s sure to shake things up… at least a little… for several conferences and teams out there, especially those in the non-P4 conferences. Fans of both Washington State and Oregon State might be wondering how it would impact the Pac-12.
In short, it would have little bearing on the league in 2025. For one more year, the Pac-12 will consist of just the Cougars and the Beavers and a two-team league cannot even be considered to send its conference champion to the Playoff as the selection committee requires a conference to have at least eight football-playing members to be eligible. Yes, both WSU and OSU could still snag an at-large bid if they finish with a good enough record but, in that hypothetical instance, either team would be ineligible for a bye under last year’s format anyways.
What the change could do this year, however, is make it so either the Cougs or the Beavs have at least the possibility of playing for one of the top four spots starting this fall. In all likelihood it would take an undefeated season by either one to even be in contention for a first-round bye and even then it is a longshot at best. Still, however, the door would at least be open a little.
What happens beyond next fall, though? The Pac-12 is expected to add five programs to its mix beginning in 2026. The likes of Boise State (who qualified for the Playoff last year), Colorado State, Fresno State, Utah State and San Diego State will all join bringing the membership up to seven total. If the conference is able to find one more and meet the eight-team threshold, then the new Playoff format would really start to have an effect.
Once the Pac-12 is able to crown an official champion, that champion would still need to have a good enough overall ranking to receive a bye week. They would likely need to be undefeated or just have one loss. While winning the league would be enough to get a seat at the table, it would not necessarily be enough to earn a week off in the opening round. Playing in the first round, though, would almost surely mean an on-campus game for the Pac-12 representative as compared the neutral site games that begin in the quarterfinals.
Right now this is all speculative but, at the very least, it seems as though the seeding changes will be a done deal soon. The Pac-12 itself has another year before any of this probably matters, but it’s something that is surely on the radars of both current and future members alike.
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