Keep the 12-team Playoff but add play-in games during CCG week
So here’s my idea (sorry if the organization sucks it’s not my strong suit):
-Every P4 team that makes their CCG is locked in to the playoffs. Going off last season for example, it would be Oregon, Penn St, Texas, Georgia, Clemson, SMU, Arizona St, Iowa St. The top G5 champion will be added as well. (Boise St)
-That same week (or the following), the six highest ranked teams NOT participating in a CCG will be matched up by rank and play-in to the playoff. Higher ranked teams host. Losers of these games will still be eligible for a bowl game. Again going off 2024 it would look like this:
#12 Miami @ #4 Notre Dame
#11 Alabama @ #6 Ohio St
#9 Indiana @ #7 Tennessee
-From there, the committee will rank the teams 1-12 straight, however the top 4 champions will again receive a bye, this time regardless of seeding. The committee could seed to avoid CCG rematches until later rounds. Assuming all the home teams won their play-in game, here’s the example (teams with asterisk receive bye):
- Oregon*
- Georgia*
- Penn State
- Texas
- Notre Dame
- Ohio State
- Tennessee
- Boise St*
- SMU
- Arizona St*
- Clemson
- Iowa St
First Round Matchups:
#12 Iowa St @ #3 Penn St
#11 Clemson @ #4 Texas
#9 SMU @ #5 Notre Dame
#7 Tennessee @ #6 Ohio St
-After the first round, the field is reseeded for the final time and we play a regular 8-team bracket:
#1 Oregon vs #8 Arizona St
#4 Texas vs #5 Notre Dame
#2 Georgia vs #7 Boise St
#3 Penn St vs #6 Ohio St
Let me know what y’all think! I tried to balance everything from seeding to conference strength to keeping CCGs somewhat important, but obviously there’s no perfect way to do so. As far as game locations go, I think I would prefer teams host until the semifinals at least, that way we keep the Rose Bowl, Sugar, etc important
Posted Jul 19, 2025, 7:56 PM UTC