"It was so stupid": SEC analyst calls out old regime as CFP introduces straight seeding 

The College Football Playoff will have a new seeding system in the upcoming 2025 season. After months of discussions, conference commissioners have voted to adopt a straight seeding format for the 2025 playoffs, eliminating the conference champion perk.

Last season, the first edition of the expanded 12-team playoff granted first-round byes to the four highest-ranked conference champions. This saw Oregon (Big Ten), Georgia (SEC), Boise State (MWC) and Arizona State (Big 12) start their playoff journey in the second round.

Chris Gourdy shared his opinion, which is similar to that of many college football fans, on a recent installment of the “Locked on SEC” podcast. The analyst criticized the old system, which many felt had unfairly given Arizona State and Boise State a first-round bye last season.

“For any of you who have followed 'Lockdown on SEC' the last couple of years," Gourdy said (Timestamp: 1:28), "you know this is what I asked for last year. I said, ‘Stop doing this fair thing where everybody gets a trophy. Like, oh, I won my conference, do I move to the front of the line?’

“Yes. Even if it was a crappy conference. It doesn't matter, move to the front of the line. And so, I just thought it was so stupid. But under the new seeding model, the top four seeds, regardless of their conference title status, will receive a first-round bye.”

Despite the change in the seeding system, five playoff spots remain reserved for conference champions. Nonetheless, there’s a lot to discuss about the future structure of the playoffs beyond 2025. Key issues like further expansion and automatic bids are still under discussion.

Notre Dame gets the opportunity for a first-round bye in the new seeding system

With first-round byes reserved for conference champions in the previous system, Notre Dame had no chance of getting one, regardless of their performance during the regular season. However, the new seeding system has made it possible for the Fighting Irish can also get a bye.

Chris Gourdy said:

“Notre Dame will also reportedly be able to earn a first-round bye in the future, despite not even participating in a conference title game, something that would not have been possible under the old setup rules.”

The new playoff seeding system has turned out to be more acceptable among college football fans following the experience of last season. The straight seeding is also expected to be adopted in the next expansion of the playoffs for 2026 and beyond, especially with automatic bids likely coming in.