College Football Playoff Leaders Meet, Discuss Seeding Changes

College Football Playoff Leaders Meet, Discuss Seeding Changes \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ The College Football Playoff (CFP) Management Committee met Tuesday to discuss potential changes to the seeding format for the 12-team playoff in 2025, the final year under the current contract. SEC and Big Ten commissioners favor a straight seeding system, eliminating automatic top-four seeds for conference champions. While a unanimous vote is required to make changes for next season, the debate over seeding has intensified after controversy in the first expanded playoff. The new ESPN contract for 2026-2031 will further shift control toward the SEC and Big Ten, setting the stage for even more CFP changes in the coming years.

College Football Playoff Seeding Debate: Quick Looks

• CFP Officials Meet to Discuss Seeding Changes: Commissioners gathered Tuesday to debate whether the top four seeds should still go to conference champions or if straight seeding should be adopted.
• SEC and Big Ten Push for Change: Commissioners Greg Sankey (SEC) and Tony Petitti (Big Ten) support a rankings-based system, arguing that conference champions should not automatically receive byes.
• Controversy Over 2024 Playoff Seeding: Last season, lower-ranked champions Boise State (No. 9) and Arizona State (No. 12) received top-four seeds, while higher-ranked at-large teams had to play in the first round.
• Unanimous Approval Required for 2025 Changes: Any adjustments for next season must be approved by all 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame’s AD, making it uncertain if changes will happen this year.
• SEC and Big Ten Will Control Future Playoff Format: Even if straight seeding isn’t implemented for 2025, the SEC and Big Ten are expected to have greater influence starting in 2026, when a new CFP contract with ESPN begins.
• What’s Next? The debate over seeding will continue, with the potential for major changes in the next CFP contract cycle if unanimous approval isn’t reached for 2025.

Deep Look

With the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff (CFP) system entering its second year in 2025, debate over the seeding structure has intensified, leading to a high-stakes meeting of all FBS commissioners and Notre Dame’s athletic director on Tuesday.

The central issue revolves around how the 12 teams are ranked and seeded—specifically whether the top four spots should continue to be reserved for the highest-ranked conference champions or if the playoff should adopt a straight seeding model based solely on final CFP rankings.

SEC and Big Ten leaders have publicly endorsed the move to straight seeding, arguing that the current system unfairly rewards lower-ranked conference champions at the expense of stronger at-large teams. However, making any change for the 2025 season would require a unanimous vote—an outcome that remains uncertain.

The timing of this debate is crucial, as the 2025 season is the final year under the current CFP contract. With a new contract set to begin in 2026, control of the playoff system will shift heavily toward the SEC and Big Ten, meaning that even if a change does not happen this year, it could be inevitable in the near future.

Why Is Seeding an Issue?

The current 12-team format guarantees that the four highest-ranked conference champions receive the top four seeds and first-round byes, regardless of where they finish in the CFP selection committee’s final rankings.

This system proved controversial in 2024, when it resulted in a playoff bracket that didn’t align with the overall rankings:

• Big Ten champion Oregon (CFP No. 1) and SEC champion Georgia (CFP No. 2) received the first two spots.
• Mountain West champion Boise State, ranked No. 9, received the No. 3 seed over higher-ranked at-large teams.
• Big 12 champion Arizona State, ranked No. 12, was awarded the No. 4 seed, while multiple top-10 teams played in the first round.

Critics argue that this format gives an unfair advantage to conference champions, even if they rank significantly lower than at-large teams.

The controversy intensified after all four top-seeded teams lost in the quarterfinals—a result that fueled arguments in favor of straight seeding.

SEC and Big Ten Push for Straight Seeding

At their annual meeting in New Orleans last week, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey and Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti came out in strong support of eliminating the automatic top-four seeding rule.

Their proposal would mean that seeding is determined strictly by the final CFP rankings, ensuring that no team is automatically given a bye just for winning a conference title.

The change would not impact which teams qualify for the playoff, as the current model still includes:

• Five automatic bids for conference champions
• Seven at-large spots for the highest-ranked remaining teams

However, it would ensure that a lower-ranked conference champion does not receive a higher seed over a stronger at-large team.

Would Straight Seeding Have Changed the 2024 Playoff?

Under the current system, conference champions Boise State (No. 9) and Arizona State (No. 12) earned byes, while higher-ranked teams like SEC runner-up Texas and Big Ten runner-up Penn State played in the first round.

Had straight seeding been used, the bracket would have looked significantly different:

• The four teams receiving byes would have been Oregon, Georgia, Texas, and Penn State—reflecting the actual top four teams in the rankings.
• Boise State and Arizona State would have been seeded according to their final rankings, meaning they would have played in the first round instead of receiving automatic byes.
• The quarterfinal matchups would have been adjusted to better reflect overall team strength.

While this wouldn’t have changed which 12 teams made the playoff, it would have altered the matchups and provided a more balanced competitive structure.

Why Isn’t This an Easy Change?

Despite strong support from the SEC and Big Ten, changing the format for 2025 would require unanimous approval from all 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame’s AD—a significant hurdle.

Some smaller conferences may resist the change, fearing that it devalues their champions and makes it even harder for them to compete in the CFP.

Additionally, some commissioners may be reluctant to make changes for just one year, knowing that a new contract beginning in 2026 will likely reshape the system anyway.

Looking Ahead to 2026: The SEC and Big Ten’s Growing Influence

Even if straight seeding does not pass for 2025, the 2026 season will mark a major shift in CFP governance, as the SEC and Big Ten will control the majority of decision-making power under a new ESPN contract.

That means changes like straight seeding—or even more dramatic adjustments—are likely inevitable once the two powerhouse conferences gain more control over the format.

What’s Next?

While no official vote was scheduled for Tuesday’s meeting, the debate over seeding will continue to play out in the coming weeks.

If the CFP Management Committee cannot reach a unanimous agreement, the current format will remain in place for 2025, before bigger changes potentially take effect in 2026.

Regardless of the outcome, the expanded College Football Playoff remains a work in progress, and the tug-of-war between fairness, tradition, and conference power is far from over.

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