What would be rumored that changes in the college football playoff would mean the PAC-12?

The first year of the new 12-team college football playoff format was generally seen as a success.

Now, only a year since its official foundation, changes may already be on the go. The way the bracket sowing its teams was examined and a suggestion to adapt this is in the works. Instead of admitting that the four best rated conference champions receive a bye as in 2024, the new plan would be to simply assign the coveted four byes for the highest overall teams.

This proposed change could come into force next season, and if this is the case, it will be sure to upgrade things … at least a little … for several conferences and teams out there, especially for non-P4 conferences. Fans of the state of Washington and the state of Oregon could wonder how this would affect the PAC-12.

In short, in 2025 it would have little influence on the league. For a year, the PAC-12 will only consist of the Cougars and the Beavers and a two-team league, which cannot even be sent to the playoff as a conference champion, since a conference needs a conference to have at least eight football games to be justified. Yes, both the WSU and the OSU could still make a large offer if they end with a sufficiently sufficient record, but in this hypothetical case, every team would not be an approval as part of last year.

However, what the change could do this year is that either the Cougs or Beavs from autumn at least have the opportunity to play for one of the four best places. In all likelihood, it would take an unbeaten season for one to get by one bye in the first round, and even then it is at best a long long shot. Nevertheless, the door would be at least a little open.

However, what will happen over the next autumn? The PAC-12 is expected to add five programs to its mix from 2026. Just as Boise State (who qualified for the Playoffs last year), Colorado State, Fresno State, Utah State and San Diego State, membership will connect up to seven in total. If the conference is able to find another and hit the threshold of the eight team, the new playoff format would really have an effect.

As soon as the PAC-12 is able to crown an official champion, this champion would still have to have an overall rankings to get a good week. You would probably have to be unbeaten or just have a loss. While winning the league, it would be enough to sit at the table, it would not necessarily be enough to earn a week free in the opening round. Playing in the first round would almost surely mean a game on campus for the PAC-12 representative, compared to the neutral location games that begin in the quarter-finals.

At the moment, all of this is speculative, but at least it seems that the changes will be completed shortly. The PAC-12 itself has another year before this is probably important, but it is something that is certainly on the radars of the current and future members alike.

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