2025 playoff format

[Inkblot]

The February championships committee report is out (https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/com...2CC_Report.pdf), and the committee has approved expansion of the football bracket to 32. Each super region will have 4 auto bids and 4 at-larges (the GSC got a waiver).

As has been the case since 2019, only the top 4 in each region will be seeded. The same basic bracketing rules still apply (inconsistently, as we've learned); auto bids ranked outside the top 8 must be placed against a #1 seed (unless there are multiple such auto bids in the region).

As a refresher, these are the super regions now:
SR1: CIAA, MEC, NE10, PSAC
SR2: CC, GSC, SAC, SIAC
SR3: GLIAC, GLVC, GMAC, NSIC
SR4: GAC, LSC, MIAA, RMAC

[laker]

Four more teams will be happy this fall!

[IUPNation]

32..is too many.

[njmav1]

32..is too many.

Are you kidding me? That gives us much more to complain about next season.

[IUPNation]

Are you kidding me? That gives us much more to complain about next season.

I think 24 should be the max.

[BigCatcirca73]

I think 24 should be the max.

So you want to give BYES to both the #1 AND #2 seeds? That's a ridiculous format.

[Tech Boys]

32 is the perfect number. It's the right ratio for the number of teams we have now but this should also be the max no matter how many teams in the future. The number of potential postseason games (5) should not exceed half of the number of regular season games (11).

[Buffalo/Islander Alum]

I personally like it. Every conference gets an auto bid so if your team starts out 0-2 in non conference then it takes the pressure off of having to run the table in conference play to make the playoffs for most 3 loss teams. Goodbye earned access. No more excuse for top seeded bye teams with "rust" from an off week. For most regions there isnt much dropoff between the 7th and 8th team. Of course the 9th place SOS team will still be griping.

[IUPNation]

So you want to give BYES to both the #1 AND #2 seeds? That's a ridiculous format.

I believe that’s happened before…

[BigCatcirca73]

I believe that’s happened before…

Yea, and the BCS championship was two teams for over a decade.
Would anyone want to go back to that? What's the rationale for going backwards in time?

[Bballfan]

Ultimately there is only a handful of teams that even have a chance of winning a national championship, no matter how many teams you let in. 5 weeks of football playoffs seems excessive to me, but in an era where everybody gets a participation trophy, let schools that have no post-season chance get a bite at the apple.

[Buffalo/Islander Alum]

Ultimately there is only a handful of teams that even have a chance of winning a national championship, no matter how many teams you let in. 5 weeks of football playoffs seems excessive to me, but in an era where everybody gets a participation trophy, let schools that have no post-season chance get a bite at the apple.

In Texas high school football there are 6 playoff games to determine a state champion and FCS has a similar setup where a 9 seed could go on a hypothetical run for 5 weeks.

I guess you could go back to the 70s where only conference champs play for a title for only a few weeks at every level.

[BisonBones]

I, a football fan who posts on a football forum, think it is a good thing that there will be more football played next year.

[boatcapt]

I personally like it. Every conference gets an auto bid so if your team starts out 0-2 in non conference then it takes the pressure off of having to run the table in conference play to make the playoffs for most 3 loss teams. Goodbye earned access. No more excuse for top seeded bye teams with "rust" from an off week. For most regions there isnt much dropoff between the 7th and 8th team. Of course the 9th place SOS team will still be griping.

Auto bid for Conference Champs is effectively Earned Access. Love how they hide the 5-8 seeding. Cuts down on people complaining when the #1 seed plays the #5 OR #4 gets to play the #8. Soooo...When the #2 team from the MIAA gets shipped to SR1 and just happens to play the #1 seed, no complaining...Same when the #3 team from the PSAC gets shipped off to SR4 to play the #1 seed there. Maybe they were REALLY a #4 seed...we just don't know!!!

[NWFanatic]

Don’t know how often D2 PO teams have played 5 games but the 6th seeded ‘05 Bearcats played 4 road games( including a trip to Florence in the semis) before nearly beating the Lakers in the title game back in Florence