College Football Reportedly 'Nearing Consensus' to Change CFP Bracket Format

College Football Playoff leaders are "nearing consensus" regarding an updated playoff bracket that would no longer grant automatic first-round byes to conference champions, according to CBS Sports' Brandon Marcello.

Those byes would instead go to the top four seeds as determined by the CFP Selection Committee.

The straight seeding proposal was originally made by the Big Ten and SEC. The ACC and Big 12 began showing support "in recent weeks," per Marcello.

ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said Wednesday that straight seeding "may be the right thing for us to consider," per Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger.

The new bracket could come into play as soon as the 2025-26 CFP, according to Dellenger.

The proposed change comes after the CFP debuted its first 12-team playoff in 2024. The top four seeds, who were rewarded with automatic first-round byes, were determined as the highest-ranked teams that had also won their conference championship.

Mandating that four different conferences be represented in the top four seeds kept No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Penn State, respective runners-up for the SEC and Big Ten championships, from earning first-round byes alongside No. 1 Oregon and No. 2 Georgia.

Mountain West champion Boise State, ranked No. 9 going into the playoff, and Big 12 champion Arizona State, ranked No. 12, both earned top-four seeds instead.

The CFP management committee is comprised of commissioners from all 10 FBS conferences as well as Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua.

All 11 members of the committee will need to unanimously agree in order to change the bracket ahead of the 2025 playoff, per ESPN's Heather Dinich.

The Athletic's Ralph D. Russo noted that a new agreement set to kick in ahead of the 2026 playoff means that unanimous approval will no longer be needed, potentially giving the Big Ten and SEC more power over deciding the format.

Other changes that could be considered ahead of the 2026 playoff include potentially expanding the field of the playoff. ESPN's Pete Thamel recently reported that there is a "continued focus" among Power 4 commissioners regarding a potential 16-team CFP in 2026.

CFP leaders are set to meet again to discuss the 2025 playoff on June 18, Marcello reported. Committee members are "hopeful" the bracket format will be finalized by then, per Marcello.