New College football playoff seeding model explained: Is it a boon or bane for SEC? 

After one year of the expanded playoff, the format will undergo a major change. We take a look at the new College Football Playoff seeding model explained and how it could affect SEC teams.

To make the change for 2026, the 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame AD had to vote for the change unanimously. Here is a look at how it will be different from last season's postseason format.

New College Football Playoff seeding model explained: What is straight seeding?

After last year's inaugural 12-team CFP, there were complaints about how teams were seeded. In particular, how programs like ninth-ranked Boise State (No. 3 seed) and 12th-ranked Arizona State (No. 4 seed) got a first-round bye while third and fourth-ranked Texas and Penn State had to play in the first round.

That will not be the case next season. Straight seeding means the teams will be seeded in the order they are ranked on the final CFP poll. So, taking last year as an example, Texas and Penn State would have earned a first-round bye.

Matchups would have also been different. Boise State would slide down to the ninth seed, while Arizona State would have been the 11th seed. As the presentation of the new College Football Playoff seeding model explained, Notre Dame, which could not get a bye week as an independent, can now claim one if the program finishes in the top four.

How does the new playoff seeding format affect SEC teams

With the new seeding model, the SEC could be one of the biggest beneficiaries. With several schools often competing for top-five status in the CFP poll, the conference could likely get more than one team on a bye.

As last year's example illustrates, SEC schools Georgia and Texas would have advanced directly to the quarterfinals.

Another way SEC programs could benefit would be if they could land yet another team in the top eight, as that team would earn a home date in the first round. Last season, Tennessee finished ranked No. 7 in the CFP poll, meaning they would have faced SMU at home instead of Ohio State on the road.

As the College Football Playoff seeding model explained, it even opens the door for the top conferences to have two teams on a bye and two others having a home game in the first round.

It's worth considering the format on a year-by-year basis. With talk of a potential expansion to 14 or 16 teams in the near future, bye weeks might not matter for long, but the top schools could still benefit from getting an extra game at home and facing a lower seed.