College Football Playoff Format Changing to Straight Seeding

How will the new format impact Alabama and head coach Kalen DeBoer?

Sep 28, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer lobbies hard for a safety call on a play that was ruled intentional grounding on Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck (not pictured) at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images / Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images

The College Football Playoff will be making a big change from its current format, per Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger.

"CFP executives in a call today unanimously adopted a move to “straight seeding” for this year’s playoff, sources tell Yahoo Sports," Dellenger wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Thursday. Teams will be seeded directly on the rankings, 1 thru 12, eliminating the concept that designated the top 4 seeds for conference champs."

It's worth noting that if this format was used last season, Alabama would've had a much better shot at contending for the inaugural 12-team CFP as the Crimson Tide was No. 11 in the final AP Poll before the selection show.

In this straight seeding format, the top four seeds (based on the final rankings before the selection show) would earn a bye into the quarterfinals instead of the conference champions like this past season. That said, the new policy will guarantee the five highest-ranked conference champions a place in the Playoff.

“After evaluating the first year of the 12-team Playoff, the CFP Management Committee felt it was in the best interest of the game to make this adjustment,” said Rich Clark, CFP executive director Rich Clark said in a press release. “This change will continue to allow guaranteed access to the Playoff by rewarding teams for winning their conference championship, but it will also allow us to construct a postseason bracket that recognizes the best performance on the field during the entire regular season.”

The 2026 season was also brought up in the call between College Football Playoff executives on Thursday. And while nothing is set in stone just yet, the SEC and Big Ten are supporting a 16-team playoff that features multiple automatic qualifiers per conference.

"The format — dubbed the “4-4-2-2-1” model — grants the SEC and Big Ten four automatic qualifiers each, as well as two each to the Big 12 and ACC," Dellenger wrote. "Then one bid would go to the highest-ranked Group of Six conference champion and there would be three at-large selections."

Spring football concluded over a month ago for Alabama, and the Crimson Tide looks forward to Year 2 of the Kalen DeBoer era. Alabama finished 9-4 last season––its first time under 10 wins since 2007.

As DeBoer enters Year 2 in the role as the Alabama head coach, he is continuing to try and build his culture with the players who want to play for him and his vision for Crimson Tide football. DeBoer sees a continuity and alignment that starts with the coaching staff and then spreads throughout the remainder of the team. He credits the "brotherhood" that the players have created on the 2025 team.

According to DeBoer, Alabama didn't even really have any issues with guys coming forward saying they wanted to transfer. This all goes hand-in-hand with the fact that the Crimson Tide didn't lose a single scholarship player during the spring transfer window––a tremendous accomplishment in today's college sports world.

"It’s never perfect, but it feels like we’re in a good spot as we head into the summer,” DeBoer said on May 15.

The Tide seems to be on the rise this offseason and it could splash into the fall. Additionally, Alabama was ranked No. 2 in the country in SP+ rankings on Thursday. This measured by returning production, latest recruiting and recent history.

The SP+ rankings included strength of schedule rankings as it put Alabama at No. 11. The SP+ rankings explained that the Crimson Tide has the best odds of any SEC team to go 10-2 or better.

In addition to the SP+ rankings, Alabama has been placed inside of the top-12 for a variety of way-too-early rankings lists.

If Alabama wins the SEC next season, not only will it be guaranteed a spot in the CFP, but due to its competition in the conference, the Crimson Tide could be in that top-4 category and earn a bye. And if the Tide doesn't take home the SEC title but logs 10 wins, there's a good chance that DeBoer and company will make the 12-team field regardless because of the challenging schedule.

But of course, this is easier said than done. The Crimson Tide is on a short break following the spring and will prepare for a true postseason berth later this summer.

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