On January 1, 2026, the College Football Playoff (CFP) continues, bringing football excitement to households across the U.S. But, the playoffs look a bit different this season, since officials have moved to a straight seeding model that aligns first-round byes more closely with overall performance, not just conference championships.
Back in May, in a unanimous vote, the College Football Playoff Management Committee approved changes for the 2025-26 CFP that adjust how teams are seeded and who earns a first-round bye. The committee, according to a report from the NCAA, was made up of the 10 FBS conference commissioners and the director of athletics at Notre Dame.
“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,” they stated at the time.
What’s New With the 2025-26 College Football Games?
Using the revised format, the 12-team playoff field still includes the five highest-ranked conference champions based on the CFP Selection Committee’s final rankings. Those champions are guaranteed spots alongside the seven highest-ranked teams not already in as champions.
So, what’s the biggest change? That’s in how byes were handed out. In the first year of the 12-team format, the four highest-ranked conference champions received first-round byes regardless of where they landed in the final rankings, a situation that could see a lower-ranked power conference champ leapfrog a stronger team from another league, according to the NCAA. Now, the four highest-ranked teams overall, regardless of conference title, receive byes into the quarterfinals.
But, the first round of the CFP still consists of teams seeded No. 5-12, with higher seeds hosting matchups on campus or designated sites (No. 12 at No. 5, No. 11 at No. 6, No. 10 at No. 7 and No. 9 at No. 8). Winners of those games advanced to the quarterfinals alongside the top four seeds at traditional New Year’s Six bowl sites.
According to CFP executive director Rich Clark, the move balances rewarding conference champions with recognizing overall season performance.
“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, said in a statement in May 2025.
He added, “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 recognizes the best performance on the field during the entire regular season.”
Winners Advance to Playoff Semifinal
The straight seeding model has drawn attention from fans and analysts alike, because it’s changed the makeup of the top seeds compared with last season’s system, where conference champions sometimes earned byes despite ranking lower in the committee’s own evaluations.
So, the winners of the December 31 and January 1 games will advance to the Playoff Semifinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on Thursday, January 8, and the Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Friday, January 9. Then, the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship is set for the Hard Rock Stadium on Monday, January 19.
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