Winning the ACC won’t guarantee Syracuse a bye
Syracuse Orange fans know that one constant in college athletics is that the people in charge can’t leave things alone for too long.
Even though the Big 10 and SEC haven’t decided if the CFP will expand to 14 or 16 teams following the 2026 season, conference commissioners have decided to change the seeding for next year’s playoff.
CFP executives in a call today unanimously adopted a move to “straight seeding” for this year’s playoff, sources tell @Yahoo Sports.
Teams will be seeded directly on the rankings, 1 thru 12, eliminating the concept that designated the top 4 seeds for conference champs.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) May 22, 2025
The idea makes sense, but had this been in place last year, then both the B10 and SEC Championship games would have been completely pointless as Georgia, Texas, Penn State, and Oregon would have held the top four seeds.
Here’s what Jim Phillips had to say about the move.
“We all have a responsibility to serve our constituents while also being mindful as to what’s best for college football,” ACC commissioner Jim Phillips told ESPN. “Today’s decision was done in the best interest of the sport. It may not always benefit the ACC, but it was the right decision and that’s a responsibility I take very seriously.”
If these administrators are looking for decisions that are in the best interest of the sport, we’ll likely see conference championship games turn into play-in games for the CFP. Let’s just hope that Jim Phillips will not just roll over to the SEC and B10 in future negotiations because ultimately his job is to fight for what’s best for the ACC.