Notre Dame AD thinks there's a chance for seeding tweak in CFP
2025-01-19
Category: sports

Notre Dame's athletic director said "I think there's a chance" for tweaks to the way the College Football Playoff awards byes next year — an issue that will be discussed this weekend but would need unanimous approval from the 10 conferences and the Fighting Irish. Speaking at media day Saturday in advance of the national title game, Pete Bevacqua, in his first year guiding the Notre Dame athletic department, called the premiere of the 12-team playoff "a wonderful success, but look at who you're talking to." Notre Dame will try for its first title since 1988 on Monday when it plays Ohio State. The current format awards automatic spots in the tournament to the five best-ranked conference champions, and gives byes to the top four. The system was devised before the collapse of the Pac-12 that reduced the number of power conferences from five to four. The result this year was that Boise State and Arizona State each leapfrogged several teams in the rankings to earn first-round byes. Both lost their first games, as did No. 1 Oregon and No. 2 Georgia. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has said he hopes there's interest in changing the seeding formula before next season, while also acknowledging the difficulty of getting the group of 10 conference commissioners and Bevacqua to all agree. For his part, Bevacqua sounded hopeful, and expected the topic to come up at a meeting Sunday. "I think there's a chance," he said. "I think everyone wants what's best for the overall system." Bevacqua did not indicate that any change in the seeding structure should include giving Notre Dame a chance at one of those byes. Part of the agreement struck when the CFP expanded gave the Fighting Irish $12 million starting in 2026 simply for being part of the CFP system. It also blocked their chance of receiving a bye since they're not part of a conference. The AD said if conference title games go away, as some have suggested they should, "then I think we absolutely have to relook at Notre Dame's ability to get a bye if we're one of the top four teams." Reporting by The Associated Press. [Want great stories delivered right to your inbox?&nbsp;Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.]