New CFP Seeding Rewards Rankings, Not Titles—Except on the Paycheck

The College Football Playoff is making a big format change for its second season under the expanded model.

The CFP management committee—made up of FBS conference commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua—has approved a new seeding structure for the 12-team bracket, according to multiple reports, after last year’s inaugural Playoff caused plenty of controversy.

For the 2025 CFP, the 12 teams will be seeded according to their final CFP rankings, regardless of conference championships. However, the shift comes with a compromise around the finances of the CFP.

Last year, the four highest-ranked conference champions received the top four seeds. That gave them first-round byes—and a guaranteed $8 million payday for their conferences, which received $4 million for each school that made the CFP and for each school that qualified for the quarterfinal.

Under the new model, the four highest-ranked teams will earn first-round byes, but the conferences with the four highest-ranked champions will still pocket the automatic $8 million payout, even if their champion is not ranked inside the top four.

Looking Back on 2024

Last year, Mountain West champion Boise State and Big 12 champion Arizona State received the Nos. 3 and 4 seeds, despite ending the season ranked Nos. 9 and 12, respectively. Texas and Penn State received seeds Nos. 5 and 6, despite ending the season ranked Nos. 3 and 4. Big Ten champion Oregon was ranked No. 1, and SEC champion Georgia No. 2.

Despite the first-round byes, last season’s top four seeds were each knocked out by the lower seeds in the CFP quarterfinals.

Filling Out the Bracket

There will be no change to who qualifies for the CFP, as the five highest-ranked conference champions and the next seven highest-ranked teams will still make up the 12-team bracket. That means the fifth-highest-ranked conference champion could still bump a team ranked in the top 12 out of the CFP, like ACC champion Clemson (No. 16) did to Alabama (No. 11) last season.

Under the new model, Notre Dame, which made $20 million from its CFP run since it is independent and not affiliated with a conference, will be able to earn a first-round bye, which was previously not possible.

The payouts, which also included another $6 million for a conference whose school reached the semifinals and played in the national championship game, are expected to be similar this season. But the revenue distribution will be under a new model for the 2026 season and beyond, which will move away from per-round payouts and see the Big Ten and SEC make the majority of money. The specific details of that new model are not yet finalized.