For the 12th time, the College Football Playoff selection committee got together following Championship Saturday to decide which teams would compete for a national championship. With this being the second year of the 12-team format, there were some clear changes from last season.
Last season, the four highest-ranked conference champions were seeded No. 1 through No. 4 and given first-round byes, while the fifth champion, Arizona State, was placed in the No. 12 spot. This year, everyone was seeded based on their rankings.
In total, five SEC teams, three Big Ten teams, and one team each from the ACC, Big 12, American and Sun Belt conferences earned bids. With this came jubilation for some teams and heartbreak for others. Here is a look at what the committee got right and wrong:
Right: Top 5 teams
The four squads receiving first-round byes are cut and dry, and the No. 5 seed isn’t far behind. These teams had the best resumes of all the qualifying teams. If the four-team bracket were still around, they could have made a perfect playoff.
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The top two seeds stem from the Big Ten: No. 1 Indiana (13-0, 9-0) and No. 2 Ohio State (12-1, 9-0). Heisman Trophy-winning redshirt junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza led the way for the Hoosiers while sophomore quarterback Julian Sayin guided the Buckeyes to another dominant campaign. Both teams should be going deep in the bracket this winter.
Next up is No. 3 Georgia (12-1, 7-1), fresh off a 28-7 victory over No. 9 Alabama (10-3, 7-1) in the SEC Championship. The Bulldogs’ only loss of the season came to that same Crimson Tide team at home. Aside from that, it’s been business as usual for Kirby Smart and company.
The last first-round bye went to No. 4 Texas Tech (12-1, 8-1). The Big 12 champions also represent the conference’s only bid in this year’s field. The Red Raiders came out of seemingly nowhere this season after posting an 8-5 record in 2024.
If No. 5 Oregon (11-1, 8-1) takes care of business in the first round, an Orange Bowl between them and Texas Tech would make for an excellent game. The Ducks rebounded this year after getting stomped in the quarterfinals last season and are poised to go further.
Wrong: 6, 7 seeds
Two SEC teams are making their first CFP appearances this season and have slotted right into the middle of the field.
No. 6 Ole Miss (11-1, 7-1) is having its best season in program history. The Rebels, however, took a huge hit as head coach Lane Kiffin agreed to coach the LSU Tigers in 2026. As a result, he will not coach the Rebels during the playoffs.
This could rattle Ole Miss in its first round matchup against No. 20 Tulane (11-2, 7-1) — seeded at No. 11 — which is going through a coaching change of its own.
No. 7 Texas A&M (11-1, 7-1) should have been ranked ahead of Ole Miss. One of the principles the committee uses in the final rankings is “unavailability of key players and coaches that … likely will affect its postseason performance.”
Losing Kiffin should’ve meant a drop in the rankings, but this wasn’t the case. It is worth noting, however, that the Rebels dismantled the Green Wave, 45-10, in a week 4 matchup in Oxford.
Right: Two Group of 6 teams in
The Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC champions snagged automatic bids for the playoffs. However, one power conference remained: the ACC.
Their conference had one hope at an automatic bid: No. 17 Virginia (10-3, 7-1). However, they lost their conference championship game to Duke (8-5, 6-2), completing the cycle of chaos in the conference. This meant the ACC would not receive an automatic bid.
Two Group of Six squads made the cut instead: Tulane and No. 24 James Madison (12-1, 8-0) — seeded at No. 12.
Five automatic bids go to the highest-ranked conference champions. Since Duke had five losses — one of which was to Tulane — and was not ranked, it didn’t take the spot.
The Green Wave and Dukes earned their spots by losing a combined three games and dominating in their respective conference championships.
Wrong: Alabama in, Notre Dame out
The biggest controversy surrounds three teams who had cases for taking the last two at-large spots: No. 9 Alabama (10-3, 7-1), No. 10 Miami (10-2, 6-2) and No. 11 Notre Dame (10-2). Ultimately, the committee decided to let the former two into the field, sending the latter home packing.
ACC champion Clemson set the precedent last season. The Tigers made the playoffs at 10-3 as the No. 12 seed after winning their conference title. These games must have an impact on the rankings for the winner and the loser.
When Alabama lost the SEC Championship by 3 touchdowns, this should’ve meant elimination. The committee had other plans, though, letting in a three-loss team that failed to win its conference over a two-loss team whose losses were to two playoff teams.
That two-loss team, Notre Dame, was ranked ahead of Miami in all of the committee’s polls, even though the latter won the week 1 contest. The main catalyst was No. 12 BYU (11-2, 8-1), which lost the Big 12 title. Once this happened, the committee switched the Hurricanes and Fighting Irish at the last moment.
As a result, Miami visits Texas A&M on Saturday while Alabama travels to take on No. 8 Oklahoma (10-2, 6-2). In the regular season, the Sooners bested the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa. It will be interesting to see if they can replicate the success in Norman.
