Changes to CFP seeding, bye weeks 'unlikely'

College football pundits and fans alike were excited for the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, but there’s been a myriad of issues that have come to the forefront over the past week.

One of the drawbacks has been the issue of an automatic bye week for the four highest-ranked conference champions. After each team who received a bye lost during the Quarterfinals of the CFP, some have clamored for change, but ESPN’s Heather Dinich isn’t expecting the obstacle to be resolved anytime soon, for a myriad of reasons.

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“Well, Dan Lanning certainly didn’t use it as an excuse. We’ll start there. It’s also possible that the better team won all of those games,” Dinich stated, regarding the higher-seeded team falling in each showdown, via Get Up on ESPN. “But as far as changes being made moving forward, it is critical that people understand that in order for any changes to be made next season regarding the seeding or home games or whatever it might be, everyone involved in the College Football Playoff who has a position of power has to agree to it. We’re still in a period where it has to be unanimous.

“So, we’re talking about Group of Five commissioners, including the Mountain West, where you’ve got Boise State, not only in it, but with a first-round bye, conceding that possibly. I don’t think that’s going to happen. So, my sources are telling me, changes for next year? Probably unlikely.”

Still, Paul Finebaum believes the idea is something the Selection Committee must consider, and he thinks it’ll come to fruition in the future, even if it doesn’t happen as early as next season.

“It has to go that way,” Finebaum said, regarding a change being made regarding bye weeks in the expanded CFP. “We have a Playoff today because they made a compromise. The Big Ten commissioner and the SEC commissioner, they had a deal. They needed unanimity, and they got it. At least we have the Playoff. It’s not perfect, we all know that. But it will be much better in ‘26, when they do the new deal.

“And another problem that for another day is these conference championship games are in peril, because you saw the record. I mean, the winners of these conference championship games have had a terrible outing in the CFP.”

Regardless, there will be some exciting matchups in the Semifinals of the College Football Playoff, between some of the biggest brands in the sport. That’s enough for many of the decision-makers to consider the venture a success, for sure.

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