College football is an institution that is deeply embedded in tradition. With its origin in the late 1800s, a large part of the reason that college football has gained such a large following is because of the way it has stuck to its original traditions and rules. Proud alumni continue to follow their alma mater’s team, and the football programs serve as a unifying force bonding all alumni together. Last year, in the 2024-25 college football season, the College Football Playoff Board of Managers made a switch as to how the playoffs would run, and how teams would be selected to be put into the playoffs. The accepted proposal included a 12-team playoff, as opposed to the 4-team playoff structure that had always been.
Throughout the entire 2025-26 college football season, a majority of the discussion was around the playoffs – what teams had the potential to make it and what teams didn’t. Around mid-December, this conversation started to really pick up and become controversial. The 12-team playoff structure was continued. The top 12 teams were admitted to the playoffs; however, there was more of a focus on non-power 5 schools that won their conference. Tulane and James Madison University were included in the playoffs, sparking much controversy.
Indiana, Ohio State, Georgia, and Texas Tech were deemed the best four teams in the country; therefore, they would earn a bye during the first round of the playoffs and go straight to the second round. Oregon, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma were the fifth through eighth best ranked teams in the country, earning rightful spots in the playoffs. Where the controversy heated up was in the last four available spots. Alabama and the University of Miami earned the ninth and tenth spots. At the close of the regular season, Alabama had a record of 11 wins and three losses. They had lost to an unranked Texas A&M, top-15 ranked Oklahoma, and top-10 ranked Florida State. With three losses, many were surprised that Alabama was able to make their way into the playoffs. The University of Miami ended with a regular season record of 11 wins and 2 losses. They had lost to an unranked SMU and unranked Louisville. These losses made UMiami’s admittance to the playoffs a topic of discussion.
For their season openers, Notre Dame played the University of Miami in an incredibly close game. Ultimately, Miami won by a field goal, with a final score of 27-24. Notre Dame had a record of 10-2. They had lost to UMiami by three points and to top-ranked Texas A&M by only one point. After these two losses, they went undefeated for the rest of the season. Notre Dame vs. UMiami admittance to the playoffs was extremely controversial, and ultimately University of Miami was chosen because they won head-to-head, even though the weight of the losses of Notre Dame were more significant.
As mentioned previously, James Madison University and Tulane University were added to the playoffs, taking two spots. This was because they both won their conference championships. This being said, the Sun Belt Conference that JMU is in and the American Athletic Conference that Tulane is in are both often referred to as weak conferences. Whether or not these teams really deserved spots in the playoffs, especially compared to Vanderbilt and Notre Dame who were very competitive teams all season, remains up for debate.
This year’s college football playoff team selection was filled with debate, excitement, frustration, and controversy. The College Football Board was forced to make tough calls between many teams, all who seemingly deserved a spot in the playoffs. Because college football fans are so passionate, debates were widespread and heated. With the new adoption of the 12-team playoff, tension was bound to come. All eyes will be on the remainder of the playoffs and viewers are anxious to see how the upcoming games will play out.