In a recently-uncovered adjustment to the College Football Playoff format, the guaranteed bid to the 12-team field for a team from the Group of Six conferences no longer has to go to a conference champion. The auto-bid will now go to the highest-ranked G6 team, regardless of whether that team won its league crown.
NEW: In a previously unreported College Football Playoff change, the Group of 6 spot in 2026 does NOT have to be a conference champion.
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) January 27, 2026
It's just the highest-ranked G6 team, a change some G6 leaders didn't even realize until recently.
Details: https://t.co/de6RlkwKSw
Two G6 schools made the CFP this past season, with Tulane making it as the 11th seed and James Madison as the 12th seed. Both schools were blown out in their first-round games, Tulane falling 41-10 at No. 6 Ole Miss and James Madison dropping a 51-34 affair after trailing 34-6 at halftime at No. 5 Oregon. The duo were selected as the last two seeds under the previous 12-team format, which stipulated the top five conference champions go to the CFP. The ACC's conference champ, Duke, was left out after a four-loss season.
CFP expansion talks stalled in the offseason with proposed 16-team and 24-team formats on the table.
