By Dan Zealley
On3 Sports @Andy_Staples discusses the effect of automatic bids on the need for a committee to select
the teams for the playoffs.
.@Andy_Staples explains how adding more auto bids to the CFP could make the committee less relevant:
"Your conference games would be the thing determining whether you got into the playoff. Not somebody's opinion in a room." https://t.co/4UMhga9qzK pic.twitter.com/vCpd43hgcP
— On3 (@On3sports) February 19, 2025
Currently, there are five automatic bids for the college football playoffs. The champion of the Big 10,
SEC, Big 12, ACC, and the top-ranked Group of Five get the auto-bids. The remaining seven teams are at-
large bids selected by the CFP committee.
The Big 10 and SEC have suggested that they should get four automatic bids each. If there were no
expansion to the 12-team playoff, that would leave four remaining spots. One for the ACC champ, one
for the Big 12 champ, one for Group of Five, and one at-large (likely Notre Dame if ranked high enough).
Staples uses the SEC 2024 standings as his example for determining the auto-bids. Since the teams play
the regular season and each conference has tie-breakers, the standings are determined on the field. A
committee wouldn’t decide who is the third or fourth-best team in the conference, the standing
determines this.
“Your conference games would be the thing determining whether you got into the playoff. Not
somebody’s opinion in a room,” said Staples.
Staples also ran a poll to determine if the public would like auto-bids, status quo, or all at-large bids.
44.4% think there should be all at-large bids, with only 19.7% thinking they should be auto-bids.
Unless there is an expansion to the playoffs to 14 or 16 teams, four automatic bids for a conference are
unlikely. The current contract for the CFP runs through the 2025 season and then there will probably be
changes to the format and selection of the CFP. With the power the Big 10 and SEC hold, they will get
the four teams they want.
