As a reminder, the 12-team playoff will consist of the six highest-ranked conference champions and the six highest-ranked at-large teams as chosen by the CFP selection committee. The top four conference champions will be seeded Nos. 1 through 4 and receive first-round byes. ( I don’t think we want the winners of the American and Sunbelt conferences to get in over Alabama ( an hopefully Ole Miss) someday. Likely to be cut to 5 conferences as a bone still to the G5 conferences which opens up another at large space.(7). I would say just 4 conferences ( the auto bid goes to the championship game winner by the way), but the voting lot includes the G5 currently so probably would not pass. If both Sec teams are very highly ranked and assured of being top 12, I don’t get the incentive for playing that game all out, you do get a first round bye of course, but there is a risk if someone builds a big lead like this past year, just pull everyone and play 4 th string and walkons 2nd half, why should you not? With possible multiple playoff games coming up.
