ATLANTA — The athletic director for Notre Dame recently commented on the possibility of modifications to the College Football Playoff bye assignments for the upcoming year. This topic is set to be discussed during an upcoming meeting, but any changes would require unanimous consent from the ten conferences along with the Fighting Irish.
At a media day event leading up to the national championship game, Pete Bevacqua, who is in his first year as the head of Notre Dame’s athletic program, referred to the inaugural season of the 12-team playoff as “a wonderful success, but look at who you’re talking to.” On Monday, Notre Dame will compete against Ohio State in hopes of securing its first national championship since 1988.
The current playoff format allocates automatic tournament spots to the five highest-ranked conference champions and awards byes to the top four seeds. This system was established prior to the dissolution of the Pac-12, which decreased the number of power conferences to four. Consequently, this year, both Boise State and Arizona State advanced past several teams in the rankings to secure their byes, yet all four top seeds, including No. 1 Oregon and No. 2 Georgia, faced defeats in their opening matches.
Greg Sankey, commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, has expressed a desire to explore potential changes to the seeding structure prior to the next season. However, he also acknowledged the challenge in achieving consensus among the ten conference commissioners and Bevacqua.
Bevacqua remains optimistic, stating that he anticipates this topic will be a point of discussion in the forthcoming Sunday meeting. “I think there’s a chance,” he remarked. “I think everyone wants what’s best for the overall system.”
He did not specify whether the proposed changes should allow Notre Dame a chance at receiving a bye. According to the agreement established with the expansion of the playoffs, the Fighting Irish are set to receive $12 million beginning in 2026 solely for their participation in the College Football Playoff framework, which also restricts their eligibility for byes since they do not belong to a conference.
Bevacqua noted that if conference championship games are eliminated, as some have advocated, then there should be a reevaluation regarding Notre Dame’s potential to secure a bye if they are ranked among the top four teams.
