CFP to remain at 12 teams (for now)
Link:
ESPN
44 Replies
6mo
The only way to clean this up is for 56 power schools to create two leagues (Big Ten League and SEC League) with 4 divisions each consisting of 7 teams per division. Each P56 school will play a total of 13 games per year (6 in their division plus 7 in a rotation of the other 3 divisions). The Big Ten and SEC will never play one another outside of the college Super Bowl and maybe a few pre-season games that don’t count for regular season. Get rid of rankings altogether. Get rid of conference championship games. The team with the best overall record in each division gets an automatic bid to the playoff. If there is a tie, then tiebreaking procedures are needed, starting with head-to-head results, followed by division/conference records, and common game analyses.
Make the college football playoff with 16 teams (8 per league). 4 division champs get automatic bids. 4 wildcards are chosen based on overall record. There may be times when one division is so strong and the other 3 weaker where 2 wildcard teams come from one division and maybe zero wildcard teams from a crappier division due to their poor records.
Does this sound familiar? Maybe like the NFL? Probably because it’s their rules basically. College football is dying quickly to become a semi professional league.
If that petulant private school doesn’t get on board and join one of these leagues, then they get left behind with no special rules.
(In response to this post by OU_Sooner)
6mo
** Edited by Calamitous at 1/24/2026, 9:41:32 AM
(In response to this post by Calamitous)
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TerryD
6mo
Since all changes had to have unanimous agreement, the P2 had to get Notre Dame on board with giving the SEC and Big Ten control of the playoff format.
So, ND needed to get something in return. The MOU is it. Had to give ND something to get ND's vote.
All 10 conferences signed off on this MOU that gave ND this....and gave all P4 champs an automatic bid.
Look, if everyone wants to go to straight 12 ranking with no carve-outs for ND or for conference champs, then fine by ND.
** Edited by TerryD at 1/24/2026, 9:01:56 AM
(In response to this post by Calamitous)
6mo
Sure, the MOU gives the bratty child a seat at the table. God knows why the other conferences ever agreed to it unless ND just has savvier lawyers. The hole in this argument is that rankings are and always have been subjective. Good lawyers could poke holes in it just by looking at a 9-4 Alabama team who was ranked top 10 but lost to below .500 FSU. Plus ND will always be ranked higher simply because of your name and for some stupid reason everyone is afraid of the insolent private school.
Since that stupid MOU is in place, I think the better thing would have been to force ND to play 13 games every year if the automatic bid with a #12 ranking is a thing. And since they’re just making up random rules, make it so it reads “#12 or higher pending the following conditions where ND may need to be ranked #11 per clause bla bla bla, #10 per clause bla bla bla,#9 per clause bla bla bla…” #11 would be the highest ranking if the auto G6 school was ranked 13th or worse. #10 if the G6 and a power conference champ was ranked 13th worse. And #9 with the condition that a school was ranked higher than ND before the last a conference championship game and dropped below ND as a result combined with that 2nd condition.
Since ND loves special rules so much, make it complicated and make those clowns work for it.
(In response to this post by TerryD)
6mo
CFP Administration, LLC who runs the FBS Playoffs. Technically the MOU is no different than if any of the other 10 co-co-owners (aka the other 10 FBS conferences) had a demand in exchange for their support on something. That's the price of deciding unanimous consent is required to make any changes to the policy.
(In response to this post by Calamitous)
6mo
but why were all the conferences that made up 12+ and now even larger memberships dumb enough to agree to it and making one pretentious private school have the same power as an 18 team conference like the Big 18?
Too late and they were all dumb enough to agree with it, or were just plain to lazy to care, or felt they needed to rush it, or maybe all of the above. But it’s just bad business giving that much power to 1/68th of its representation. Shame on the 67/68ths who blindly agreed. They could have made a better deal.
(In response to this post by VTHokie2000)
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2hhoop3
6mo
a playoff without a contender has reduced credibility and at one time ND was an annual contender. Recently they have come back in the mix after being propped up for about 30 years.
(In response to this post by Calamitous)
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TerryD
6mo
Ten conferences thought about it and unanimously voted for it.
Don't forget that the conference champ autobids were part of the MOU and ND would not vote for that unless it got its guarantee as well.
Why would you expect ND to vote for autobids for others without getting something in return?
It is all connected together in a MOU that required unanimous consent.
(In response to this post by Calamitous)
6mo
I’m waiting for the day my Hokies are 11-1 and #6 in the country, then we lose to #20 8-4 Clemson in the ACCCG. 9-4 Clemson will move up to #14 to get the auto bid and Tech will drop to #11. #28 Troy State and #12 ND (who is 10-2 and will not get penalized for losing a 13th championship game) will both get in ahead of a 11-2 #11 team that would be Virginia Tech. That’s a problem. If the committee thought this through they would require ND to play 13 games to qualify for the autobid spot and that autobid spot should not be #12 all the time, it should be conditional because sometimes ND would have to be #10 or #11 to get the autobid. The powers that be were dumb in not thinking this through. I guarantee the first school to get screwed by ND over this will be my Hokies.
(In response to this post by TerryD)
6mo
(In response to this post by Calamitous)
6mo
the unfair advantage of being in a conference. Why do they get AQ's to begin with? Lets start there.
(In response to this post by Calamitous)
6mo
schools decided to form the BCA which was pre-BCS because the Big Ten, Pac-10, and Rose Bowl at the time decided they wanted to do their own thing. If you look at Notre Dame's place in the college football world during the late '80s/early '90s, then it should be obvious why Notre Dame was able to leverage a seat at the ownership table. It is even possible that the BCA may not have gotten off the ground if Notre Dame wasn't willing to participate. If there was never a BCA, then the BCS may never have existed because the Big Ten, Pac-10, and Rose Bowl needed to be convinced that the organized structure could work and everyone could make more money before they were willing to give up their traditions.
Remember the BCS was basically the rebranding of the BCA + the addition of the Big Ten and Pac-10 to the ownership table. While the FBS Playoffs is essentially the rebranding of the BCS. At this point in time, there is no point to try to make any changes to the ownership structure because any change requires unanimous consent which would never happen because Notre Dame would never vote to give up its ownership in the organization. I believe the only time the organization can legal dissolve is when the FBS Playoff contract comes up for renewal. No reason to dissolve the organization just to strip Notre Dame of its ownership unless you are planning to exclude Notre Dame from the new organization which could violate antitrust laws.
(In response to this post by Calamitous)
6mo
But even going back in time, why would (at the time) 6 conferences consisting of 62 universities ever give that kind of leverage to one private school? Notre Dame may have cried “anti trust” but so could have Army, Navy, ECU, Memphis, Louisville, etc at that time. And if so, why couldn’t the WAC back in those days have been part of the equation?
I think what we’re all ignoring is that ND plays a skillfull game. They are like the girl who dates a boy for many years who then rejects a marriage proposal later when asked, only to say I never really loved you but I still want to be friends. ND has been true to putting their foot down for football independence but their continued mind games with the Big East, ACC and NCAA have given those fools hope that they would join a conference one day. But if you listen to them closely, they want none of it but they sure do like parking all their other sports in some other conference.
(In response to this post by VTHokie2000)
6mo
conference. Even when the 8 schools left the WAC in the late '90s to form the MWC, the WAC was apart of the equation. The only time the WAC ceased to be apart of the equation is when it decided to stop sponsoring football in the FBS subdivision because at the time it didn't have enough schools that sponsored the sport. Technically the WAC could have been apart of the equation again when if it had decided to sponsor the sport in the FBS subdivision instead of the FCS subdivision.
BCA non-profit = All existing FBS conferences + Notre Dame - Big Ten - Pac-10
BCS non-profit = All existing FBS conferences + Notre Dame
CFP Administration, LLC = All existing FBS conferences + Notre Dame
A reason Notre Dame would have a stronger case back during the BCA days is because it moved the needle a lot more than any of the other Independents that existed back then. Hence why all of them except UConn (so far) opted to join a conference because they knew (or believed) that was the only way they would have a seat at this table. Also, it is possible the networks weren't interested in the BCA idea if it didn't include Notre Dame too. I don't disagree that Notre Dame took advantage of the situation to negotiate the best deal for itself back then. However, I don't think that is any different than if a conference does the same thing regardless whether it has 6 (or 7 because I forget the exact number in the bylaws) members, which is minimum number the NCAA needs to be officially recognized as a conference, or 60 members. A case probably could be made that a conference with 6 members receiving an automatic bid to March Madness may not be that much different than Notre Dame's MOU given the number of DI conferences with 12+ members seems to be growing every year.
(In response to this post by Calamitous)
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TerryD
6mo
The ACC and the Big 12 voted to allow the P2 to control the playoffs.
Do I have that correct?
In return, they both got a guarantee that their champ would get an automatic bid.
Do I have that correct?
The P2 needed ND's vote to obtain control of the playoffs?
Do I have that correct? Any changes had to be unanimous?
So, in return for ND's vote, the Irish received this "top 12" guarantee.
Do I have that correct?
Then, if so, it seems that the gripe is that ND didn't throw away its vote and receive nothing in return.
(In response to this post by VTHokie2000)
6mo
Why would 60+ universities being part of multiple power conferences ever have given this much leverage to one private school? I know… I know,.. antitrust yada yada yada. But if that’s true, why couldn’t the G5 (now 6) have fought the same thing? ND just has craftier lawyers.
The CFP committee was in too much of a rush to make a #12 ND an automatic bid. There needed to be conditions:
Condition #1: Notre Dame must play 13 games to qualify for all the subsequent conditions. Playing only 12 games does not guarantee ND a bid.
Condition #2: a #12 spot (this can be any university and not just a special ND condition) receives an auto bid if the G6 auto bid and all conference champions are ranked 11th or higher.
Condition #3: If one power conference winner and the G6 school auto bid are both ranked #13 or worse, then only the top 10 ranked schools get auto bids. #11 and #12 are no longer eligible.
Condition #4: If two power conference winners and the G6 school auto bid are all ranked #13 or worse, then only the top 9 ranked schools get auto bids. #10, #11 and #12 are no longer eligible.
Condition #5: If three power conference winners and the G6 school auto bid are all ranked #13 or worse, then only the top 8 ranked schools get auto bids. #9, #10, #11 and #12 are no longer eligible.
Condition #6: If all four power conference winners and the G6 school auto bid are all ranked #13 or worse, then only the top 7 ranked schools get auto bids. #8, #9, #10, #11 and #12 are no longer eligible.
(In response to this post by TerryD)
6mo
It doesn't matter how the ACC and Big XII voted on that issue because that vote still required unanimous consent to give control to the P2s. Now there are reports the P2s may have strongarmed that vote by threatening to take the FBS Playoffs and the money with it to form a P2 Playoffs if they didn't get their way. However, all 11 representatives still had to agree to the change to make it official including Notre Dame. It wouldn't surprise me if the MOU was Notre Dame's consideration in exchange for Notre Dame's vote to allow the P2s to take control of the playoffs. Just like the ACC and Big XII received consideration for its vote to agree to the change. If the ACC and Big XII received their consideration at a different time than Notre Dame, then a potential explanation for the difference is the group decided to take multiple votes on the various proposed changes instead of 1 vote on multiple changes. Regardless of how everything went down, the ACC, Big XII, and Notre Dame received the consideration that was acceptable to them in exchange for voting to agree to a specific proposed changed.
I suspect the unanimous consent requirement part of the bylaws has been in place going all the way to BCA days under the non-profit organization that established to run the BCA. Then when the BCA morphed into the BCS, the non-profit organization that ran it basically just had to change the name and tweak a few minor bylaws because the foundation was already in place. The same thing happened when the BCS morphed into FBS Playoffs. The non-profit organization that ran the BCS renamed itself the CFP Administration, LLC and tweaked a few of the bylaws to reflect the change in the process.
Link:
CFP Administration, LLC
(In response to this post by TerryD)
6mo
somewhat satisfactory format. In American college football there is only the infuriatingly stupid format; the clumsy, confusing format; and the unfair, poorly conceived format. We might as well use the machine that picks lottery numbers.
This is not new. Post-season polls were unpopular (But fine by me). The BCS was unpopular (but fine by me). The four-team bracket was unpopular (But fine by me). The twelve team bracket continues the pattern. These reform efforts will become increasingly crazy when ESPN starts getting assaulted by the other networks, including some who have not yet entered the fray.
This subject, and many others discussed here, seem to quickly devolve into a reason to bludgeon Notre Dame. I don't suggest that such a line of thinking be censored. But it can become tedious. Notre Dame has shown, apart from its football success, a gift for manipulating the college football powers-that-be. Congratulations to them. I think it will fail them in the near future, just MHO.
(In response to this post by Calamitous)
6mo
Kind of like the spoiled brat that everyone hated in elementary school. But little brats always get their way in the end.
(In response to this post by 33laszlo99)
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TerryD
6mo
If you want to unwind the giving the P2 control of the playoffs and the P4 champs automatic bids, along with ND's deal, be my guest.
(In response to this post by Calamitous)
6mo
** Edited by Calamitous at 1/24/2026, 10:28:35 PM
** Edited by Calamitous at 1/24/2026, 10:28:57 PM
(In response to this post by TerryD)
6mo
That's what I expected, but didn't want to assume until it was official. This looks to be making that the official stance going forward.
It's a valid argument to take a season and look at the impacts from the expanded ACC and SEC conference schedules. But I really wish they would get rid of the conf champ games.
(In response to this post by OU_Sooner)
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Stech
6mo
again. These are the people that should be thinking about what we teach our young people through their actions, but clearly that never crossed their mind. Just because you do something (good ratings) in spite of something, doesn't mean you should do it.
(In response to this post by OU_Sooner)
6mo
versus Navy game (ND's only rival) would get an automatic bid to the college playoffs. It took a lot of courage by the SEC and BIG to reject this and settle on a fair and just outcome for Notre Dame.
(In response to this post by Stech)
6mo
I don’t follow ND’s shenanigans that closely. But s that what they really proposed?
If ND wants fair treatment, play 13 games and put some conditions on that automatic bid if ranked 12th. Sometimes they’ll have to be ranked higher given the weirdness of the auto G6 rule and possibility of lower ranked power conference champ. Too many special conditions for the yahoos.
I care for Stephen A Smith, but he’s right when he said “Notre Dame. What makes them so damn special?”
(In response to this post by manassashoo)
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TerryD
6mo
...a top 12 team be guaranteed a spot in a 12 team playoff.
Oh, the horror!!
If the playoffs are not about getting the top 12 teams in, then what are they about?
(In response to this post by Stech)
6mo
(In response to this post by TerryD)
6mo
the number of teams in the field.
World Cup? No.
The Masters? No
NFL Playoffs? No
NCAA Basketball Tournament? No
And there are several reasons why this is the case.
As you know TerryD, I have no problem with ND independence, but they should be treated like any other at-large candidate.
Also, if you are talking about the actual "best 12," this is highly subjective and open to manipulation by pollsters and selection committee members.
(In response to this post by TerryD)
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Stech
6mo
you know it, or at least you should be smart enough to know it.
Yes that is horrible for the integrity of the game!!!
(In response to this post by TerryD)
6mo
(In response to this post by Stech)
6mo
two losses every season, so I'm not sure it matters.
(In response to this post by RandomAsianGuy)
6mo
For ND, the brand and perception matters very much.
If elite teams does start avoiding ND (which may or may not happen), that’s not going to be a good look.
(In response to this post by Big12 guy)
6mo
in the playoffs. The media numbers of those games will be the equalizer, and ND will continue their long and storied blue blood history of being independent.
They will not come up with rules that keep the Irish out of the playoffs, and even if they have to ho undefeated playing a G6 (which they are almost doing now with an ACC) schedule, they will be in.
Couldn't resist that last sentence, after all, I have a reputation to uphold with my moniker and all.
(In response to this post by RandomAsianGuy)
6mo
I am not arguing about the playoff access, but it seems like that’s the only thing matters to you.
** Edited by RandomAsianGuy at 1/23/2026, 5:23:18 PM
(In response to this post by Big12 guy)
6mo
would rather play a historical rival, but in the end, it will not matter who ND plays, as long as they get in the playoffs, and win games. If they do that, then the USC's, who are scrambling to get in the playoffs, may reconsider, as SOS will become important again, even for SEC and BIG schools.
(In response to this post by RandomAsianGuy)
6mo
(In response to this post by Big12 guy)
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Stech
6mo
opponent. They will get in because of their TV ratings, especially with Notre Dame is special rule, where they can hop a team rated better than them and that maybe even beat them, like this year would have been the case with Miami. Who was one play from winning the national championship.
The ACC Post Season football record was 9-4 (4-0 against the SEC), crickets from the national media.
The SEC Post Season football record was 4-10, crickets from the national media on that too.
(In response to this post by Big12 guy)