College Football Playoff Adopts Straight Seeding, Grants Notre Dame Potential First-Round Bye
College Football Playoff Adopts Straight Seeding, Grants Notre Dame Potential First-Round Bye

College Football Playoff Adopts Straight Seeding, Grants Notre Dame Potential First-Round Bye

News summary

The College Football Playoff (CFP) Committee unanimously approved a new seeding format for the 12-team playoff starting in the 2025-26 season, moving to a straight seeding model where the top four teams receive first-round byes regardless of conference championship status. This change benefits Notre Dame, an independent team previously ineligible for a first-round bye since it cannot win a conference title, allowing them to earn a bye if ranked among the top four. The prior system guaranteed the four highest-ranked conference champions byes, which led to lower-ranked conference champions like Boise State and Arizona State receiving byes over higher-ranked teams such as Notre Dame. The revised format maintains guaranteed playoff spots for the five highest-ranked conference champions but seeds teams strictly by ranking for byes, thus rewarding overall season performance rather than solely conference success. Notre Dame’s athletic director Pete Bevacqua, part of the CFP management committee, supported the change, which also addresses concerns raised after all four teams with byes lost in the previous year’s quarterfinals. The adjustment provides teams earning byes extra rest and preparation time, potentially improving their postseason success and reducing injury risk.

Story Coverage
Bias Distribution
100% Left
Information Sources
cad3d7a8-9ce2-4060-a6fb-3964c8b5008943ca6625-20fa-4fff-8e8e-3cc88620488e
Left 100%
Coverage Details
Total News Sources
2
Left
2
Center
0
Right
0
Unrated
0
Last Updated
12 days ago
Bias Distribution
100% Left
Related News
Daily Index

Negative

23Serious

Neutral

Optimistic

Positive

Ask VT AI
Story Coverage
Subscribe

Stay in the know

Get the latest news, exclusive insights, and curated content delivered straight to your inbox.

Present

Gift Subscriptions

The perfect gift for understanding
news from all angles.

Related News
Recommended News