The 12-team College Football Playoff will move to a straight seeding model this fall, rewarding the selection committee’s top four teams with the top four seeds and a first-round bye, sources told ESPN.
The 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua, who comprise the CFP’s management committee, reached the unanimous agreement necessary to make the change during a call on Thursday afternoon.
This past season, the four highest-ranked conference champions earned the top four seeds — regardless of where they were ranked. Now, independent Notre Dame is eligible to earn a first-round bye if the Irish are ranked in the top four. All four teams that earned a first-round bye in the inaugural 12-team CFP lost their first game.
The five highest-ranked conference champions will still be guaranteed spots in the 12-team field.
The group was also expected to agree to a financial component Thursday. There’s a $4 million payout that comes with advancing to a quarterfinal — that’s in addition to $4 million for reaching the playoff for a total of $8 million earned by a team’s respective conference. Under this agreement, the four highest-ranked conference champions are still expected to earn the $8 million they would have under the previous model.
Last year, Mountain West Conference champion Boise State and Big 12 champion Arizona State earned top-four seeds and first-round byes as two of the four highest-ranked conference champions. The Broncos were ranked No. 9 and seeded No. 3, and No. 12-ranked Arizona State earned the fourth seed and final bye. Had a straight seeding model been in place last year, No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Penn State would have been the top four seeds.
The CFP’s management committee has been contemplating changing the seeding for this fall for months. While there was overwhelming support in the room to move to a straight seeding format, some commissioners were hoping to tie the discussion into the bigger consideration of format for 2026 and beyond. No decisions were made on the CFP’s future format.
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