The College Football Playoff is moving to a straight seeding model for the 2025 season, sources told Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger.

The new format will reportedly seed teams based on the selection committee’s ranking, awarding first-round byes to the top four programs regardless of whether they won their conference.

Conference champions will still receive an automatic bid into the playoff but will be seeded based entirely on their ranking, sources told Action Network’s Brett McMurphy.

For last season’s playoff, the first under the 12-team format, the top four seeds and accompanying byes were automatically given to the four highest-ranked conference champions.

As a result, ninth-ranked Boise State (Mountain West champion) earned the 3-seed, while No. 11 Arizona State (Big 12 winner) was the 4-seed in the tournament.

If the new format had been in place last season, non-conference winners Texas and Penn State would have received the first-round byes alongside Oregon and Georgia. Notre Dame, which is independent outside of the conferences, is now eligible to receive a bye in the playoff.

This will also be the final season of the 12-team playoff format, with the CFP expanding to either 14 or 16 teams starting in 2026, McMurphy adds.