The policy in brief
What this part would establish
- An official post-regular-season ranking is published after rivalry week.
- A required title-game participant locks the competitive benefit attached to that ranking band.
- The result may improve final order and opponent, but the extra game alone cannot erase the protected claim.
- Every Power Four champion receives a CFP berth and at least a single bye.
- Fixed two-double-bye and eight-single-bye capacities always remain in force.
How it works
The protection mechanism
Before title games, the committee publishes the ranking that identifies each participant’s claim. Nos. 1–2 claim a double bye, Nos. 3–10 a single bye, Nos. 11–14 a home opener, and Nos. 15–18 a berth. A team outside the field has no protected berth but can still improve through a championship win.
Capacity reconciliation
Protection cannot manufacture an extra bye. Double-bye slots first protect qualifying title-game participants in the top two; any unprotected slot follows the final ranking. Single-bye claims are resolved first for Power Four champions, then protected top-ten title participants, then remaining teams in final order.
What winning adds
A title remains the first major differentiator between otherwise comparable résumés. A Power Four title guarantees access and a bye; the highest-ranked champion outside the Power Four receives access; an elite champion remains eligible for an unprotected double-bye position.
Conference autonomy and game load
Conferences keep control of the way they crown a champion. A league can consider a four-team internal playoff only if it shortens the affected regular-season path. No conference should add postseason rounds without accounting for the national maximum workload.
Safeguards
What keeps the rule honest
- Protection applies only to a team required to play an additional championship contest.
- The game may still affect final order; protection is not immunity from all consequences.
- The provisional capacity hierarchy must survive at least ten seasons of simulation before adoption.
Still to resolve
Questions testing must answer
- Is the provisional single-bye priority order the fairest way to resolve an over-capacity season?
- Should any protection depend on a minimum regular-season ranking or win standard?
- How should a conference cancellation or opponent withdrawal affect a protected claim?
Discuss this rule
The proposal ends.
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