Gotta say, there’s something oddly fascinating about watching things shake up in the College Football Playoff scene. I mean, after seeing some pretty dull blowouts with the new 12-team system last year, the committee is shaking things up. Yep, they’re making what seems like a smart call. Or is it? Who knows.
So, what happened is on Thursday—right, that’s when it was—the committee unanimously said they’re switching to straight seeding next season. This means the top four seeds, plus those first-round byes, will now go where the selection committee’s top four teams are. Previously, it was for the four highest-ranked conference champs. Yeah, a total page-turner.
I stumbled on a quote from CFP executive director Rich Clark—thanks, Heather Dinich for that: “Evaluated already? Guess so,” Rich tossed in, saying it was, um, crucial for the game. This change apparently secures playoff success by rewarding teams after winning their conference but also builds a postseason bracket for the whole season’s best performance. Got it? Because I’m kinda still digesting that.
Big Ten and SEC teams—oh boy, aren’t they the real champs here? Schools in those conferences should definitely—well, probably—reap some serious benefits.
Think about it. In 2024, Boise State Broncos and Arizona State Sun Devils ranked as No. 3 and No. 4, which sounds nice, but Texas Longhorns from SEC and Penn State Nittany Lions from Big Ten were just lurking around as No. 5 and No. 6. Had they done this new method last season, Texas would’ve jumped to No. 3, Penn State as No. 4. Boise? Down to No. 9. Arizona State? No. 11. Go figure.
Anyway, nuts, right? Institutions juggling rankings like this. But frankly, that’s what makes college ball fun—a curious mix of chaos and strategy. I might not get every nuance of the shuffle, but it proves there’s always room for surprise plays. Or not. Time will tell.
