College Football Playoff's 'Ultimate' Bracket Sparks Immediate Backlash

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College Football Playoff's 'Ultimate' Bracket Sparks Immediate Backlash

The College Football Playoff officially kicked off the voting for its Ultimate Champion bracket and it’s already causing a stir in the CFB world.

The CFP put together a 12-team bracket of every champion since the Playoff’s inception back in 2015 — which includes some great Alabama, Clemson and Georgia teams, as well as the legendary 2019 LSU squad.

Fans were pretty quick to push back on the seeding though and they let their voices be heard across social media.

GLENDALE, AZ – JANUARY 11: Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrates by hoisting the College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy after defeating the Clemson Tigers in the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship Game at University of Phoenix Stadium on January 11, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

‘Ultimate’ College Football Playoff bracket coming under fire online

“Not giving 2019 LSU a bye is such a travesty that I think it has to be rage bait,” Barstool’s Kayce Smith replied.

“2019 #LSU as a six seed is all the evidence you need. The committee has no idea what it’s doing,” Preston Guy pushed back.

“Absolutely awful,” a user posted.

“Clickbait at it’s finest,” another said.

“2020 Bama beat up on random Art majors and gets a first round bye 👌” a fan claimed.

“Laughable is the *most* polite thing I can say about this seeding,” another person admitted.

Josh Heupel, Kirby Smart advocate for 24-team CFP

In a recent interview with On3.com’s Chris Low, Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel gave his stamp for the College Football Playoff to expand to not just 16 teams but 24 — joining Georgia’s Kirby Smart in that fight.

“The way college football is constantly changing, that probably makes the most sense,” Heupel told the outlet. Adding that the Volunteers are “in a race to [win a national championship] as fast as possible.”

At Feb. 26’s Steve Spurrier Awards Show, one of Heupel’s fellow SEC coaches told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that expansion of that magnitude is better for college sports fans.

“I think 24 teams is good for the fan bases,” Smart said. “I think when coaches and ADs look at it, we’re looking at our fan bases having an expectation that they want to be in the playoffs — it’s playoffs or bust.”

“They really just want to make the playoffs,” he added. “And I’m hearing some athletic directors scream and yell that they can be much more financially efficient if their fan base is rewarded with the playoffs. … Not even a national championship, but Playoff [appearance].”

It seems like only a matter of time before more than 12 teams are able to qualify for the tournament — and then we can have even more arguments about how many schools should actually get in.

This story was originally published by The Spun on Mar 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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