"You've devalued the conference championship game": CFB analyst points out major flaw in new College Football Playoff seeding model

The College Football Playoff moves to a new seeding system in 2025 following the criticism last season. In the inaugural year of the 12-team playoffs, the four highest-ranked conference champions were handed a bye in the first round.

However, the committee has now decided to move to a straight seeding system, where the four highest-ranked teams, irrespective of conference, get the first-round byes. This is considered much fairer than a system that handed Boise State and Arizona State a bye last season ahead of higher-ranked teams.

Nonetheless, Joel Klatt believes there's a major con to the new College Football Playoff seeding model. While it addresses lingering issues widely discussed after last season, the analyst noted that the new system is bound to have a massive effect on the value of the conference championship game.

“Next season, in 2025, we are going to eliminate the original structure of the 12-team playoff,” Klatt said. “They proposed a straight seeding model where we don't award those byes and those seeds based on conference championships, but on straight seeding by the committee.”

“What they have done for this season in 2025 by going to a straight seeding model, is that they have devalued the conference championship games, in particular in the two best conferences in the country, where our last two national championships have come from, the Big Ten, where all the previous national championships have come from over the last 10 years, the SEC.”

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Joel Klatt believes conference championship games should have real rewards and consequences in College Football Playoff seeding

While losing a conference title game could practically eliminate a team from contention in the four-team College Football Playoff, it could end up handing it a bye now.

Joel Klatt believes this takes away some value from a game that is meant to have real rewards and consequences.

“These two conferences, which continue to get better and better and better, and house the best teams in the country, now you've devalued the conference championship game,” Klatt said. “None of us likes that.”

“While the seeding might be better for this season and moving forward, I certainly don't like the thought of devaluing a game that I think should be very important and should have some real meaning and consequence for the winner and the loser.”

Citing last season's College Football Playoff ranking as an example, the quartet of Oregon, Georgia, Texas, and Penn State would have gotten the first-round bye.

This meant no real consequences for the Longhorns and the Nittany Lions, who lost the conference championship game, as they will get the same thing as the Ducks and Bulldogs, who won.