There’s a big change coming to the 2025 College Football Playoff format, and Penn State could benefit from it.
Per Brett McMurphy of The Action Network, the four top teams in the College Football Playoff field this coming season will receive byes regardless of whether or not that team wins its conference.
Previously, the top four seeds were determined by the four conference champions the College Football Committee felt were the strongest. As a result, Oregon (Big Ten champ), Georgia (SEC), Boise State (Group of Five) and Arizona State (Big 12) got the byes last season. Although Penn State and Texas had stronger resumes than Boise or Arizona State, they had to play first-round games at their home stadiums.
In short, had this been the format last season, Penn State would have received a first-round bye.
IT DIDN’T REALLY MATTER
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now
Truthfully, Penn State wasn’t negatively affected that much by not having a first-round bye. The College Football Playoff draw the team ended up getting— an upstart SMU squad in Happy Valley and then Group of Five Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl— worked out pretty well. Penn State won both games by double digits and put itself in the College Football Playoff Semifinal, where it fell in an Orange Bowl classic to Notre Dame.
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If Penn State beat Oregon in the Big Ten title game, it would have played eventual national champ Ohio State in Rose Bowl. Yeah, a bit of a tougher draw.
JUST WIN, BABY
At the end of the day, if Penn State goes unbeaten— and, yes, this year’s team is good enough to do that— this rule change will be obsolete as far as coach James Franklin is concerned.
Penn State’s first game is against Nevada Aug. 30 at Beaver Stadium.
