On Tuesday, the College Football Playoff Board of Managers unanimously made changes to the current playoff structure. The old model considered the six highest-ranked conference champions and spots for six additional highest-ranked at-large teams.
After all the teams, except Oregon State and Washington State, left the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC — leaving only four power conferences — this was the most likely outcome.
The College Football Playoff website laid out the specifics of the plan:
“Under the 12-team playoff format that begins this fall, the four highest-ranked conference champions will be seeded one through four and each will receive a first-round bye, while teams seeded five through 12 will play each other in the first round on the home field of the higher-ranked team. (The team ranked #5 will host #12; team #6 will meet team #11; team #7 will play team #10; and team #8 will meet #9.) The quarterfinals and semifinals will be played in the New Year’s Six bowl games, the national championship game will continue to be at a neutral site. No conference will qualify automatically and there will be no limit on the number of participants from a conference.”
Some fans and analysts wonder if this change will simply provide an opportunity for an additional SEC or Big Ten team to make the playoff, but the format will change in 2026, suggesting that this is a test run for a more permanent solution as realignment continues. The ACC membership is the next domino to fall, and the potential chaos it may unleash remains uncertain.
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