ESPN’s Pete Thamel is the latest to say to not expect any changes for next season to the format of the College Football Playoff.
Ahead of upcoming meetings about the CFP, Thamel spoke on what’s expected to happen and be discussed during those on the ‘College GameDay Podcast’ on Wednesday. With that, he said there’s no expectation for seeding changes or byes to be a part of it considering the money it could cost the leagues besides the Big Ten and SEC.
“I don’t think that’s going to happen, Rece, and here’s the reason why. Unanimous approval could cost the others outside the Big Ten and SEC some money and I don’t think they’re going to risk that,” Thamel said. “For example, the Mountain West got a team in the top-four in Boise State. They got a bye. The Mountain West got four million extra dollars – like eight millions, not just four million for inclusion but for advancement. I don’t think, collectively, the other leagues are going to risk that amount of money for one year of straight seeding. Now, if they can somehow – it just, the juice doesn’t seem to be worth the squeeze to rearrange all that and dig all the way in on that for one year. That’s, that is what I’ve been told.”
“The reason that the SEC and Big Ten likely won’t be able to get everybody to come along with them is money,” continued Thamel. “So, that is – unless they can find a needle thread there, I don’t think there’ll be much change for 2025.”
That’s the case, though, for only 2025. The 2026 season could lead to many of the changes that the sport wants to see to the format, specifically the seeding of the bracket, based on what didn’t fully work in the first year of the expanded format this past fall. That’s what Thamel is looking toward as far as these meetings and the ones to come the following year.
“Now, it’s a whole new clean slate for 2026 and this is when things are going to get, I think, really, really interesting because the future of the sport, really, for the next six years is going to, is going to start to reveal itself at these meetings,” Thamel said. “I don’t think they’re going to vote on anything there when the Big Ten leaders and the SEC leaders meet in New Orleans but I do think there’s going to be huge discussions.
“I would imagine we get to a more conventional seeding metric. That’s just the general tenor of the room. There doesn’t seem to be a ton of pushback to that as long as inclusion of the leagues is part of everything. I don’t think we’re going to see a significant pushback with that.”
There is some chance that those decision-makers could come to a unanimous decision about what the playoff looks like next season. Still, the belief as of now is that will look the same as last season’s before changes come in 2026.
“Could it happen? Sure,” said Thamel. “I don’t think it’s, I don’t think it’s particularly likely at this point.”
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