College Football Playoff Adopts 12-Team Straight Seeding Starting 2025

The College Football Playoff (CFP) will adopt a straight seeding model starting in 2025, rewarding the 12 highest-ranked teams regardless of conference affiliation, replacing the previous conference championship-based seeding that drew criticism. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey has expressed skepticism about past and proposed playoff formats, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the regular season's significance and critiquing the current system for prioritizing not losing over scheduling quality opponents. There remains significant debate over expanding the playoff to 14 or 16 teams, with the Big Ten and SEC reportedly favoring a 4-4-2-2 model granting them four automatic bids each, while the ACC and Big 12 advocate for a 5+11 format offering more at-large bids, highlighting a power struggle among conferences. Sankey also criticized the ACC and Big 12 for coordinated messaging about the 'good of the game,' stressing that he is focused on actionable ideas rather than press statements. The SEC is not yet committed to any particular future format, and discussions continue as the sport looks to balance competitive fairness, scheduling, and playoff structure moving forward.