The College Football Playoff (CFP) Management Committee has voted unanimously to modify the seeding and bye policies of the 12-team tournament for the 2025-26 season.

The new policy will guarantee the five highest-ranked conference champions a place in the Playoff, but will no longer include a bye for the four highest-ranked champions. The bracket will now be seeded according to the final ranking produced by the CFP Selection Committee, with the four highest-ranked teams receiving a bye through the first round.

“After evaluating the first year of the 12-team Playoff, the CFP Management Committee felt it was in the best interest of the game to make this adjustment,” Rich Clark, executive director of the College Football Playoff, explained. “This change will continue to allow guaranteed access to the Playoff by rewarding teams for winning their conference championship, but it will also allow us to construct a postseason bracket that recognises the best performances on the field during the entire regular season.”

If one or more of the five highest-ranked conference champions are listed outside the top 12 overall, that team (or teams) would move up to become the 12th seed, 11th seed, etc, based on the number of champions ranked outside the top 12. The teams ranked 5-12 will play in the first round, with the higher seeds hosting the lower seeds either on campus or at other sites designated by the higher-seeded institution. In traditional fashion, the 12th seed would travel to place the fifth seed and so on. The four highest-ranked teams will be assigned to quarter-finals on Selection Day, based on ranking order and considering current contract bowl relationships so that, for example, if the highest-ranked team is from the Big Ten, that team would be assigned to the Rose Bowl, etc. The #1 seed would receive preferential placement based on geography for the semi-final stage. All other operational policies will remain the same for the coming season.