CFP Director: Bracket Won't Be Manipulated to Avoid Rematches; It's 'Going to Happen'

The College Football Playoff does not plan to adjust its rankings to avoid rematches in the newly expanded 12-team playoff.

In fact, CFP executive director Rich Clark indicated to reporters Wednesday that rematches will be inevitable.

"We're not going to sort of manipulate how the bracket gets laid out or the seeding," Clark said (h/t On3's Nick Kosko.) "We're not going to manipulate that to avoid rematches. If they happen naturally, they just happen. I imagine we're going to see some of that in this playoff. You could see teams play each other three times.

"They might play each other in the regular season, they might play each other in the conference championship, and then they see each other somewhere in the playoff. So it could happen, but we're not going to change the seeding to avoid those rematches."

Clark added that losing a conference championship game would not "unduly" impact a team's chances at a CFP berth.

"I don't think a team would be unduly penalized if they lost in a conference championship game," Clark said (h/t Sports Illustrated's Bryan Fischer.) "The fact that they're in a championship game, I don't think that is going to be a major data point that the committee will evaluate. It will just be what happened in that game."

Rematches in conference championship games were already made more likely when conferences did away with division formats which prevented conference rivals from meeting again in a clash for the title.

Now the CFP's decision not to accordingly adjust the playoff rankings presents the opportunity that teams could play each other as many as three times, with a matchup in the regular season and conference championship followed by a potential meeting in the CFP.

For example, Texas and Texas A&M are scheduled to face each other in a regular-season finale on Nov. 30. There is a chance the two rivals could meet in the SEC championship game, and then again in the playoff.

A similar situation might be brewing in the Big Ten, where undefeated Oregon handed Ohio State its first loss of the season earlier this month. The two could battle again for the Big Ten title, then theoretically reunite in the CFP.

The last time the playoff field featured a rematch was Georgia's win over Alabama in the CFP national championship game in January 2022. The two teams had previously faced off as Alabama claimed victory during the 2021 SEC championship game.

A similar scenario might be on the horizon ahead of the inaugural 12-team edition of the playoff. Fans will get a better idea of how likely a rematch is when the first in-season rankings are released starting next Tuesday, followed by weekly updates leading up to Selection Day on Dec. 8. The first round of the CFP is set to begin on Dec. 20.