We've reached conference championship weekend which typically was considered the most important day of the season for serious national title contenders. Without winning their respective league, there was little chance a program would ever be considered for the four-team College Football Playoff let alone be crowned a national champion in the poll era.
However, now in the 12-team playoff era, teams run a real risk of being penalized for a loss in a game most others don't participate in. This season, six teams in the Top 12 of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee's latest rankings will play in a conference championship game. Half of them could (probably will) be dropped a spot or two in the final rankings with a loss.
That's going to dramatically impact seeding for the bracket as the other six teams are not playing this weekend and will probably stay exactly where they are. That's practically a reward for failing to be in the top two of their respective conferences. There's got to be a better way to reward those that earn a championship berth and test those that didn't qualify.
The CFP should adopt a play-in weekend for bubble teams
No. 14 Vanderbilt had the right idea trying to schedule a 13th game this weekend in order to boost its resume for the committee given it did not qualify for the SEC title game and it sits on the outer edge of the bubble. An ideal opponent would've been someone like No. 12 Miami, who is in a similar situation.
Barstool Sports' Jon Gruden had a proposal on Dec. 3 that would take that spirit and turn it into a full on play-in weekend simultaneous with conference championships.
How I would fix the College Football Playoff. pic.twitter.com/wbYu6k6mty
— Jon Gruden (@BarstoolGruden) December 4, 2025
Essentially, the six power conference teams participating in championship games would be granted a spot in the CFP (given their resumes were up to snuff). Then bubble teams would face those currently in at-large spots for the right to play in the tournament. So that would look like:
Oregon vs. James Madison
Ole Miss vs. Tulane
Notre Dame vs. Miami
Texas A&M vs. Vanderbilt
Oklahoma vs. Texas
These matchups aren't necessarily based on seeding or record but the narrative and debates surrounding their eligibility. James Madison, in the current format, needs a lot of chaos to get in since the American Athletic Conference champion is rated higher than them. This would give them a chance to really prove they belong.
Notre Dame and Miami can settle the online discourse once and for all with a rematch of Week 1. Are the Irish really playing the better football right now or would Miami prove that first game was no fluke?
And the SEC would have a chance to determine whether the Aggies' easy schedule didn't test them enough, Vanderbilt's four ranked wins are for real, and if the Longhorns' second wind are worth inclusion in the 12-team bracket.
Practically, there's little logistical sense in this plan. It would be great for the fans to get extra football and the best teams rewarded in head-to-head battles rather than rely on a committee to decide what brands offer better ratings.
The bottom line, though, is that teams not participating in conference championships should not get to rest an extra week while the best programs risk injury and an additional loss on their resumes.