Arizona State University’s football program has been dealt a major blow following recent changes to the College Football Playoff (CFP) format. The CFP committee has announced a shift to a straight seeding model, where the top 12 teams are seeded purely by national ranking—eliminating automatic first-round byes for conference champions.
Under the previous system, Arizona State, despite not always being a top-ranked team nationally, had a clear path to a first-round bye by winning the Big 12 Championship. Now, even if the Sun Devils win their conference, they may still find themselves forced into the first round if their overall national ranking isn’t high enough. That’s a significant change for a program that has prided itself on peaking late and upsetting the conference hierarchy.
This move is especially disheartening given the Sun Devils’ recent turnaround. Under head coach Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State showed serious momentum, climbing from a struggling 3–9 record to conference championship contention in just one season. The new playoff format, however, places more value on consistent national dominance rather than late-season surges or conference success.
Many fans and analysts argue that the new system favors powerhouse programs from the SEC and Big Ten, whose teams tend to dominate the rankings year-round. For teams like Arizona State, the road to playoff glory just got significantly steeper.
Moving forward, the Sun Devils will need to focus not just on winning the Big 12, but also on impressing voters and pollsters from the very start of the season. If they want a shot at a deep playoff run, Arizona State must now build a résumé that competes on a national scale—not just within their conference.
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