According to a report from Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger, the College Football Playoff format is unlikely to gain the necessary support to see a change to the seeding structure before the 2025-26 playoff.
Discussions were being held about possibly shifting away from giving the top four seeds and first-round byes to only conference champions, but it would require a unanimous vote from all 11 members of the CFP Management Committee. As of right now, that isn’t the case.
Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark is one of the voices in the room that stands opposed to the idea, though he does say that he’s open to a discussion about it.
“I’m open to a healthy discussion on the topic,” Yormark told Yahoo Sports. “I certainly have a point of view that will be expressed in the room, but I do not have the appetite to give up any financial reward that comes with a bye.”
The financial award that Yormark is alluding to is pretty significant, too.
Teams currently receive $4 million for making the 12-team field, but advancing to the quarterfinal round results in an additional $4 million incentive. The top four seeds—which automatically advance to the second round—are also due that extra cash.
Some of the other commissioners feel differently, with Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti being one of the louder voices on the matter.
“Once the field is set, we need to discuss how it should be seeded,” Petitti told Yahoo Sports on Friday. “I think some of this year’s matchups and the round in which they occurred make that conversation necessary.”
The Big Ten and SEC had been hoping to introduce the idea of seeding the field based on the alignment of the rankings and eliminate the first-round bye altogether.
Of course, if that would’ve happened this year, the top four seeds would’ve been:
- Oregon (Big Ten)
- Georgia (SEC)
- Texas (SEC)
- Penn State (Big Ten)
The Big Ten and SEC are lobbying for something that tips the scales even further in their favor—color me shocked.
