The College Football Playoff management committee was scheduled to meet Thursday, with a possible decision on how the 12-team field will be seeded and which teams receive first-round byes this season on the table.
While the format for the 2026 is still undecided, with more expansion likely on the way, that is not expected to be settled this week. The next in-person meeting of the management committee is scheduled for mid-June.
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Unanimous approval is needed among the 10 Football Bowl Subdivision conference commissioners and Notre Dame’s athletic director who make up the committee to switch to a straight seeding format.
Last week, ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, who had previously said the CFP should move cautiously when considering a change to the seeding format, said he could support a change to straight seeding for this season.
Phillips had noted previously that NFL playoff seeding gives preference to division winners over wildcards with better records. A proposal to change that was submitted by the Detroit Lions but withdrawn this week before it ever got to a vote by the league’s owners.
The format for last season’s first 12-team CFP reserved the top four seeds and byes that go with them for the four highest-ranked conference champions that make the Playoff.
That produced an odd bracket last year when ninth-ranked Boise State, the Mountain West champion, was the third seed and 12th-ranked Arizona State, the Big 12 champ, was seeded fourth.
The expected change would have the seeds match the selection committee’s final rankings, regardless of conference affiliation. A move to straight seeding would also allow independent Notre Dame to receive a top-four seed and a first-round bye.
The change would likely come with a financial agreement. Each team that makes the CFP receives $4 million and another $4 million for reaching the quarterfinals.
With a seeding change, the top-four conference champions would receive $8 million, which goes to teams that reach the quarterfinals regardless of whether they reach that round.
(Photo: Kirby Lee / USA Today via Imagn Images)
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