SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- This past May, the CFP committee, made up of 10 conference commissioners and Irish athletic director Pete Bevacua, voted unanimously to modify the seeding and bye policies of the 12-team playoff for the 2025-26 season.
The new policy will no longer include a bye for the four highest-ranked conference champions. The 12-team bracket will now be seeded directly based on the final ranking of the CFP selection committee, with the four highest-ranked teams receiving a first-round bye.
That means an independent team like Notre Dame *can now earn a 1st round bye as well. Last year, the highest the Irish could finish the regular season was 5th.
Head coach Marcus Freeman told me in our exclusive 1-on-1 that college football has changed so much, not just since he was a player at Ohio State *but in the 4 years he's been a head coach