The playoffs in the current football era seem like a modern construction by coaches and teams. But they aren’t, as it enabled us to determine the true champion in football. The decision wasn’t easy, but it came after decades of debate and discussion on the issue. And guess what? It’s still fluid and changing, with tweaks expected to come in the future as the college football world changes with NIL and the House vs. NCAA settlement. One of these changes has landed today and will have greater ramifications for teams in 2025.
Think of the 1977 Bowl season when Notre Dame won against No. 1-ranked Texas in a massive upset. Notre Dame, in that year, came after losing against No. 2 Oklahoma and No. 4 Michigan and still surpassed Alabama in polls, who were ranked 3rd. So, when the Irish finally won against Texas and were declared champions, not everyone was keen on declaring them champions, which led to a disputed championship. College football playoff ideas thus germinated in the ’70s and finally took shape in the playoffs we see today. The idea is simple.
Last season, all the power conference champions straight up earned the bye, and the rest were seeded to face off in the first elimination rounds in the 12-team playoff. This year, though, the playoffs will continue with 12 teams, but the bye system is ending, and teams will be seeded according to their respective rankings given by the selection committee. Pat McAfee shared the news on his X account.
“The 12-team college football playoff will now be a straight seeding model this fall, rewarding the selection committee’s top four teams with the top four seeds in a first-round bye, multiple sources have told ESPN. 10 FBS commissioners and Pete Bevacqua, who is the Notre Dame Athletic Director, comprised the CFP’s management committee. They reached a unanimous agreement this afternoon.” McAfee shared the news on his X account.
“The 12-team College Football Playoff will move to a straight seeding model this fall..
The top 4 teams with the top 4 seeds will be rewarded..
If you’re one of the 4 highest ranked conference champions you’re still gonna get the $8M even if you’re not a top seed” ~ @CFBHeather… pic.twitter.com/SN19ygcj15
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 22, 2025
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