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Big 12 loses major advantage in College Football Playoff as format change is approved

ByJoseph Smith|
Oct 21, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; General view of the Big 12 logo on the field at TDECU Stadium before the game between the Houston Cougars and the Texas Longhorns. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Oct 21, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; General view of the Big 12 logo on the field at TDECU Stadium before the game between the Houston Cougars and the Texas Longhorns. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

A major change was approved on Thursday to the College Football Playoff (CFP) format that takes away a serious advantage for Big 12 programs in the postseason.

According to reports, CFP executives unanimously adopted a format change that eliminates the four highest-ranked conference champions receiving a first-round bye -- instead, the CFP will switch over to a "straight seeding" format, where the five conference champions automatic qualifying teams and the seven at-large teams will be seeded as they're ranked in the CFP rankings, allowing the top-four ranked programs to receive first-round byes,

This is a major blow to the Big 12, which was previously assured of a first-round bye for its conference champion, provided they finished as one of the four highest-ranked conference champions. Now, the Big 12 champion can be seeded as low as the bottom seed in the bracket, and given the CFP's favorability of ranking SEC and Big 10 teams above programs from the ACC and Big 12, it's likely a Big 12 program will need to go undefeated (or suffer just one loss to another highly-ranked opponent) to find themselves in a position for the bye.

Last year, the "straight seeding" format would have placed Big 12 champions -- Arizona State -- as the 11-seed, where they would have been rewarded for their league title with a December road trip to Columbus, Ohio to face eventual 2025 CFP Champions Ohio State in a first-round matchup. Instead, the Sun Devils earned a first-round bye and a trip to the Peach Bowl inside a dome at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, where they faced Texas in a game that saw them fall in double overtime.

Of course, one's loss is often another's gain, and where the Big 12 (and ACC) suffer with this latest format change, Notre Dame finds themselves walking away in a better spot. Previously, as an independent, Notre Dame could only earn a 5-seed or lower, as they had no conference championship to win. While that left open the opportunity for an extra home game, they would never earn a first-round bye.

Now, the Irish can secure a top-four seed by finishing as one of the four highest-ranked programs in the country, meaning they can play one less game in the CFP if their regular season is successful enough.

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