It wouldn’t be a proper college football offseason without yet another “tweak” to the College Football Playoff (CFP) format. And in true modern college football fashion, this latest change appears to benefit the usual power brokers—the SEC and Big Ten—while leaving schools like Texas Tech and the rest of the non-giant programs staring at an even steeper hill to climb.
The Change: No More Guaranteed Byes for Conference Champions
On Thursday, CFP administrators announced a significant shift in how the 12-team playoff field will be structured moving forward. Under the previous model, the top four conference champions were awarded automatic first-round byes, a design meant to reward teams that won their leagues. That structure, while imperfect, at least gave some weight to the idea that winning a conference—any conference—should mean something.
That idea is now dead.
Under the new model, the top four overall teams, regardless of conference affiliation, will receive the quarterfinal byes. In other words, the playoff field will be seeded 1 through 12 based solely on the committee’s rankings, without any special consideration for winning a conference.
Sure, the four power conference champions (ACC, Big 12, SEC, Big Ten) and the top Group of Five champion will still get in, but they’re no longer assured a bye. Now, it’s the committee’s discretion—translation: the opinion of a small group of people behind closed doors—that decides who gets to skip the first round and who has to suit up in December.
Who Does This Help? (Spoiler: Not Texas Tech)
If you're not seeing the slant here, you might be new to college football politics. This change was tailor-made for the SEC and Big Ten, the two richest and most media-saturated leagues in the country. Under the previous model, it was entirely possible (and happened last year) that teams like Boise State or Arizona State could grab one of those coveted byes by winning their conference and ranking in the top four of champions.
In the 2024-25 playoff, Oregon (Big Ten), Georgia (SEC), Boise State (MWC), and Arizona State (Big 12) earned byes. That left heavyweights like Ohio State, Michigan, Alabama, and Texas playing in the first round—an unthinkable insult to TV executives and playoff decision-makers.
Apparently, that just couldn’t stand.
Now, under the new system, it’s quite easy to imagine four SEC or Big Ten teams being gifted the top four seeds. Forget whether they won their conferences. If the committee thinks they played the “toughest schedules” (read: TV-friendly matchups), that’s all that will matter.
And for teams like Texas Tech? The message is clear: you’re going to have to go undefeated, maybe even do more than that, to sniff a top-four seed. Even then, you might find yourself behind a two-loss Big Ten school because, well, "strength of schedule."
Home Playoff Games Are Cool… But Not the Same
To be fair, winning the Big 12 still gets you into the playoff, and yes, a home first-round game in Lubbock would be electric. There’s something undeniably special about the idea of a playoff game at Jones AT&T Stadium in front of a rabid Red Raider crowd. But let’s not pretend that’s equal footing. That’s a consolation prize.
The teams with the byes not only skip a round, they get extra rest, avoid injury risk, and prepare for the quarterfinals while the rest beat each other up. It's a built-in advantage, and now, it's being handed out based on reputation and brand as much as on-field results.
This Is Just the Beginning
This isn't a one-time shift. It’s likely just the start of a broader trend toward solidifying the SEC and Big Ten as the de facto top tier of college football—structurally, financially, and now in the postseason format itself. As the playoff grows, expect even more rules tweaked to serve the interests of the most powerful conferences and their broadcasting partners.
Fans from outside those conferences should take note. The new era of the College Football Playoff isn’t just about who wins on the field—it’s about who draws ratings, who sells ads, and who gets the benefit of the doubt.
So when the committee inevitably explains in December that Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, and Georgia deserve the byes because “they played in better leagues,” don’t be surprised. You’ve been warned.
Final Thought
This new model is dressed up as fairness and meritocracy, but it’s really a reminder of who controls the game. And for programs like Texas Tech and dozens of others across the country, it’s a sign that no matter how well you play, you’re not on equal footing.
