Report: Conference rematches could present issue for 12-team CFP format

College Football Playoff decision-makers have already discovered a fascinating problem that exists within the 12-team format.

According to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports, “FBS commissioners and Notre Dame’s athletic director projected a 12-team playoff bracket by applying the 2022 rankings,” choosing to do a bracket exercise to project any possible problems, and one arose — the idea of conference rematches in the first round.

Evidently, that’s a huge, obvious problem for the College Football Playoff, and one that the decision-makers would like to avoid if possible.

“Let’s get to the complaints — chief among them is that no protocol exists for selection members to avoid rematches in the first round,” Dellenger noted, regarding potential issues. “This is a simple, solvable problem. Like the NCAA basketball tournament selection, the CFP could implement a protocol requiring first-round games to feature two teams from separate conferences when possible. With such a small field (12) and conferences steadily expanding, there may be times where it is not possible. But for the most part, it is.

“Such a protocol is necessary because modeling shows that this format, combined with realignment moves, produces a lot of rematches. An entire conference dissolved, the Big 12 and SEC swelled to 16 teams and the ACC and Big Ten grew to 18. While considering realignment, there would have been seven first-round, conference-vs.-conference rematches over the 10 years of the CFP — far too many. Even commissioners acknowledged as much after their bracketing exercise.”

Moreover, Dellenger explained that SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey stated there were “a lot of rematches” after the bracket exercise, and while there currently is no protocol, Dellenger believes it’s an easy answer.

“Sankey evaded repeated questions about the CFP instituting a protocol to avoid rematches, citing the current policy. But this is an easy answer: Yes, avoid rematches,” Dellenger wrote. “Why are we replaying a game that happened a few months, if not weeks, before?

“… Don’t give us a sequel in the first round. Save that for later. There are three more rounds in which rematches will undoubtedly happen. Avoid the easy one. This isn’t complicated.”

It certainly makes a ton of sense. A rematch may be unavoidable in the end, but the College Football Playoff shouldn’t be set up to project them. Especially after we’ve seen the game within the last couple of months, if not weeks.

Time will tell if there’s an official protocol implemented, or if the committee simply tries to avoid rematches when they can, but it’s an interesting issue that evidently hasn’t reared it’s head yet in the room where it happens.