Oregon may have had the biggest disappointment in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals but the Ducks weren't the only team with a first-round bye to get knocked out in their first postseason game. In fact, the other three teams that had earned a bye (Boise State, Arizona State, and Georgia) all lost as well.
Since Georgia, the final team to play after a first-round bye, lost to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, people have been in an uproar the lengthy break between conference championships and the quarterfinal round actually hurt the teams with byes more than it benefitted them.
All top 4 seeds that received 1st round byes lost - maybe having 24-26 days off since their last game isn’t such a big advantage. That & the seeding process is garbage (please change next year) #CFBPlayoff
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) January 3, 2025
Despite the displeasure that some of the top teams were out of the Playoffs almost as quickly as they were into them, the likelihood of a change to the Playoff bracket is unlikely, according to ESPN's Heather Dinich.
"Dan Lanning certainly didn't use as an excuse," Dinich said. "But as far as changes being made moving forward, it is critical for people to understand that in order for any changes to be made next season – regarding the seeding, the home games, or whatever it might be – everyone involved in the College Football Playoff who has a position of power has to agree to it... Changes for next year? Probably unlikely"
ESPN's Heather Dinich reports that changes to the College Football Playoff for the 2025 season -- including eliminating the requirement for the top-four seeds to be conference champions -- are "unlikely." pic.twitter.com/88VC6O7kwH
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 3, 2025
To put the four losses into perspective. If the College Football Playoffs were still just four teams, Ohio State never would have earned a spot in the first place, similarly to Penn State. If you go back even further to the BCS era, Oregon and Georgia would have earned the only two spots in the National Championship game––both being teams that lost in the quarterfinals.
However, according to Dinich, change likely won't happen for at least another year. So, for now, the Ducks will simply have to hope that the way their 2025-26 season unfolds includes a slightly less drastic path to the National Championship.