The 2025 College Football Playoff: Expanded 12-Team Format and the Coaching Shifts

The 2025 College Football Playoff, concluded January 20, 2026 with Ohio State's national championship victory over Notre Dame, was the second edition of the expanded 12-team format. The new structure — which includes the top four conference champions and eight at-large bids — has reshaped the college football landscape and the coaching priorities across Power Four conferences.

Ohio State's 30-24 overtime win over Notre Dame at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta provided the season's defining moment. The championship was head coach Ryan Day's second since taking over from Urban Meyer in 2019, and it solidified his status as one of college football's top-tier coaches. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, 40, was widely praised for reaching the final in his third season.

Ohio State's Championship Formula

Ohio State's 14-1 season was built on a combination of elite talent and tactical flexibility. Quarterback Will Howard, a sixth-year senior who transferred from Kansas State in 2024, threw for 3,879 yards and 35 touchdowns. His receivers Emeka Egbuka (1,147 yards) and Jeremiah Smith (1,389 yards) formed one of college football's most productive wide receiver duos.

Running back Quinshon Judkins, also a transfer from Ole Miss, rushed for 1,408 yards and 15 touchdowns. The offensive line, anchored by left tackle Josh Simmons, allowed only 17 sacks across the entire season — the lowest total among top-10 teams. The Buckeyes' team-building model — combining blue-chip recruits with proven transfers — has become the template for Power Four success.

Notre Dame's Return to Elite Status

Notre Dame's 14-2 season and its national championship game appearance marked the program's first major bowl final since 2013. Head coach Marcus Freeman, in his third season, has rebuilt the program through targeted transfer acquisitions and aggressive NIL investment. Notre Dame's athletic department authorized a $14 million NIL budget for 2024-25, up from $3 million in 2023-24.

Quarterback Riley Leonard, a transfer from Duke, threw for 2,916 yards and 21 touchdowns while adding 789 rushing yards. Leonard's dual-threat ability gave Notre Dame offensive flexibility that Freeman has emphasized throughout his tenure. The defensive leadership of Howard Cross III (the son of former NFL All-Pro Howard Cross II) anchored a defense that ranked third nationally in points allowed.

The Expanded 12-Team Format

The 12-team College Football Playoff format, in its second year of operation, has produced generally positive reception from coaches, athletic directors, and broadcasters. The format includes byes for the top four seeds (historically conference champions), first-round matchups at campus sites, and quarterfinals at traditional New Year's Six bowl sites.

The format has produced significant television revenue increases. ESPN's 2025 playoff broadcast revenue was approximately $650 million, up from $475 million under the four-team format. The increased revenue has been redistributed to conferences, with the SEC receiving $125 million and the Big Ten receiving $115 million.

The Coaching Carousel's 2025 Cycle

The 2025 coaching carousel was particularly consequential. LSU head coach Brian Kelly, who finished 4-8 in 2025, was fired on November 30 and replaced by Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly on December 1. USC head coach Lincoln Riley, who finished 5-7, survived calls for his dismissal but was given a one-year performance ultimatum by athletic director Jennifer Cohen.

Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko, in his first season, led the Aggies to a 9-4 record and a Texas Bowl victory. His hire — announced in November 2024 — has been described as one of the most successful first-year transitions in college football history. Elko's defensive background has produced significant improvements in a program that had struggled under previous head coach Jimbo Fisher.

NIL and Revenue Sharing

The NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) environment has fundamentally reshaped college football recruiting and roster management. The 2024 House v. NCAA settlement, which authorized schools to directly pay athletes, has been incorporated into most Power Four athletic budgets beginning in the 2025-26 academic year.

Power Four athletic departments now allocate between $10 and $30 million annually for direct athlete compensation, with football accounting for the largest share. Ohio State's $28 million 2025-26 football revenue share has been the largest in the sport. Top-tier quarterbacks like Will Howard, Dylan Raiola, and Quinn Ewers have received compensation packages exceeding $1 million annually during their final college seasons.

The Transfer Portal's Growing Influence

The NCAA transfer portal's continued expansion has made team continuity increasingly difficult. Ohio State's 2025 roster included 14 transfer-portal players, up from 8 in 2023-24. Notre Dame had 11 transfers, and LSU had 9. The trend reflects the growing prioritization of ready-to-play veterans over traditional recruiting pipelines.

The portal has particularly benefited programs with elite recruiting relationships. Ohio State, Alabama, and Georgia have attracted transfers from less-elite programs at high rates. Ohio State's 2025 incoming transfer class was ranked as the top portal class by 247Sports.com and On3.com, reflecting the Buckeyes' ability to attract top talent from smaller programs.

Conference Realignment Stability

The 2025 season was the first in which the Big Ten and SEC operated at their expanded membership — the Big Ten at 18 teams including USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon; the SEC at 16 teams including Oklahoma and Texas. The stability of the conference configurations has produced predictable scheduling, though the 12-team playoff has created new complications for conference championship game scheduling.

The ACC's situation remains uncertain. The conference's lawsuit against Florida State and Clemson, which sought to leave the ACC before their contractual obligations ended, was settled in September 2024 with both teams remaining through 2036. However, the settlement included financial concessions that the ACC cannot sustainably maintain, creating pressure for future realignment.

The Playoff's Future Format

The College Football Playoff's format is expected to remain at 12 teams through at least the 2030 season. The CFP Management Committee has indicated that changes beyond 12 teams — including potential expansion to 14 or 16 teams — would require significant consensus among conferences. The current revenue-sharing structure, which distributes payouts based on playoff results, would need to be renegotiated for any expansion.

The playoff's ability to produce consistently compelling matchups has been validated by two successful cycles. The 2024 playoff (the first year of the expanded format) and the 2025 playoff both produced multiple dramatic games and high viewership. The format has established college football as a sport capable of competing with other major sports during the January/early February window.

The 2026-27 Season Outlook

The 2026-27 college football season will feature the return of elite quarterbacks to college rather than the NFL draft. Arch Manning will be in his sophomore season at Texas, and several other top-tier quarterbacks — including Dylan Raiola at Georgia — will be returning. The season's championship favorites are Alabama (under new head coach Kalen DeBoer), Ohio State, and Texas.

The coaching carousel's impact on 2026-27 programs will be significant. Chip Kelly at LSU, Mike Locksley's contract concerns at Maryland, and potential departures from the SEC East reshape the competitive landscape. Whether the expanded playoff format continues to produce balanced competitive outcomes will be central to college football's commercial trajectory.