One Big Change the College Football Playoff Must Make Next Season
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It’s bad enough that some teams – like Oregon and Oklahoma – were happy they didn’t have to play in a conference championship, giving them extra time to rest up for a home College Football Playoff game. What’s worse?
The No. 1 team in college football lost by winning its conference championship.
Indiana beat Ohio State 13-10, but in the current College Football Playoff format, it just got punished.
The College Football Playoff’s Seeding Problem
@PeteFiutak | The first round of the 2025-2026 College Football Playoff was almost what we all thought it would be.
Everyone knew Tulane would have problems with Ole Miss – and it did, in a 41-10 loss.
Everyone also knew that the Bears-Packers game would be far more interesting than the Oregon vs James Madison matchup (it was), and no one thought the final first-round matchup would be close (it wasn’t, but not enough for some).
And now every single sports media talking head will be crying and whining that teams like Tulane and JMU shouldn’t be in the CFP.
Blah, blah, blah … that’s not the CFP’s only problem. (I’ll fix this in a later column.)
The first round threw a curveball that no one saw coming, and it showed a massive problem that needs to be fixed for next year.
No. 9 Alabama beat No. 8 Oklahoma on Friday night, and No. 10 Miami beat No. 7 Texas A&M on Saturday morning. And now there’s an issue when it comes to the next round, particularly for Indiana and Ohio State.
Indiana was the only unbeaten team at the end of the season. It was the no-brainer No. 1 seed, it beat Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship, and there wasn’t any controversy whatsoever.
Being the No. 1 overall team is supposed to bring with it rewards.
Instead, because the CFP doesn’t reseed after each round, after Miami’s win over A&M, the No. 2 team now gets the tenth-seeded Miami – technically, the lesser seed and, supposedly, the easier opponent than the nine.
And what did Indiana get as a reward for being the 1?
The No. 9 seed, Alabama. By seeding, the harder team than Ohio State has to face, and it could’ve been worse. It could’ve played the 8 seed, Oklahoma.
The NCAA Tournament in basketball doesn’t do reseeding. It’s a logistical problem, but within regions it could and should be done – the powers-that-be just don’t do it.
The College Football Playoff doesn’t have to move as fast, but it does like things to be set up in advance with various contingency plans. Like, it knew right away that Indiana would either play Oklahoma or Alabama in the Rose Bowl.
It could get the printing of things rolling, preparations could be made in advance for both OU and Bama, and overall, there’s a bit more control.
However, there’s a little bit of time. This can be fixed.
There was a full 12 days between the Friday night first-round CFP game and the Rose Bowl. There needed to be a reseed, and after the upset early on Saturday, Miami should’ve been off to Pasadena to play Indiana – not Alabama – and the Crimson Tide should’ve gone to play Ohio State in the Cotton.
Otherwise, what’s the point of being the No. 1 seed? As it turned out, Ohio State won by losing the Big Ten Championship because it now gets an easier seed.
And it could’ve been far worse. What if Tulane or James Madison had pulled off a massive upset? Then Texas Tech or Georgia would’ve caught an all-timer of a break, and Indiana and/or Ohio State would’ve received absolutely nothing – and on the flip side, would’ve been punished – for being the 1 and 2.
And no, the NCAA Tournament comp doesn’t fly. When there’s a huge upset in the first round, there’s still the round of 32 teams next, or if that low-seed keeps winning, the 16-team format next.
The College Football Playoff bracket is too small – this is the Elite Eight now – there’s no more time to root out the underdog seeds that might come up with upsets.
And this could get so much worse.
If (10) Miami beats Ohio State, Indiana would get hosed again by getting the (4) Texas Tech or (5) Oregon, and (3) Georgia or (6) Ole Miss would get Miami.
Yes, it can be done – and all playoffs in all sports should do this.
For all of its flaws, the CFP has been good at adapting and adjusting. This is an easy one.
Related: 2026 Rose Bowl Prediction: Alabama vs Indiana CFP Quarterfinal
This story was originally published by College Football News on Dec 21, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add College Football News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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