College football tweaks playoffs, rules

A new college football season brings plenty of hopes, discussion and changes.

Here are the most notable offseason developments to know about before the games begin:

Tweaks to playoff

This happened in the dead of winter so in case you missed it: The CFP reiterated that automatic bids will go to the champions of the Power Four conferences -- the Big Ten, SEC, ACC and Big 12.

The CFP’s highest-ranked team in the Group of Six will also get a spot, whether it’s a conference champion or not. Group of Six, you say? Yes! The Group of Five is now a plus-one with the relaunched Pac-12 joining the American, Conference USA, Mid-American Conference, Mountain West and Sun Belt.

From there, the next seven highest-ranked teams, regardless of conference, will fill out the rest of the 12-team bracket.

Notre Dame

Another tweak to the 12-team CFP bracket: If Notre Dame finishes the season ranked in the top 12 by the CFP it will automatically secure a playoff berth.

It’s a more straightforward approach than last year, when Notre Dame fell short of the playoff despite being ranked No. 11 by the committee. Instead, Tulane and James Madison earned the final two spots as two of the five highest-ranked conference champions.

One last thing about the CFP: Discussions continue over whether to expand to 16 or even 24 teams.

Targeting lessened

Rule changes are to be expected in any offseason, and this year targeting was the headliner.

In 2026, a player’s first targeting offense will no longer impact their availability for the next game. If a player is disqualified for targeting a second time during the season, they will be held out for the first half of the following game. A third offense calls for a next-game suspension.

One of the more notable targeting penalties last season was on Miami DB Xavier Lucas in the fourth quarter of the Fiesta Bowl, causing Lucas to sit out for the first half of the national championship game loss to Indiana.

Another rule change fans will notice: Offensive pass interference is now a 10-yard penalty instead of 15.

New way to score

Another rule change this offseason will allow teams to attempt a field goal after a fair catch. The kicker can choose to drop kick from where the returner caught the ball, or they can use a holder with no tee. Some fans may recall a recent NFL version, when Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker hit a 57-yarder before halftime against Denver in December 2024.

Adjustments

The NCAA cleared the way for schools to land new revenue by placing sponsored jersey patches on uniforms as of Aug. 1 and, boy, there are going to be a lot of those.

Ohio State and Notre Dame alone reportedly have patch deals worth a combined $30 million, but there are many others.

Newcomers

Sacramento State in the MAC and North Dakota State in the Mountain West are the latest additions to the Bowl Subdivision, bumping its to 138 teams, officially on July 1.

Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr prepares to throw a pass in the first quarter of an against Navy on Nov. 8 in South Bend, Ind. Carr is the grandson of Lloyd Carr, longtime Michigan Wolverines football coach who also played a year of football at Northern Michigan University in the 1960s. (AP file photo)

Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr prepares to throw a pass in the first quarter of an against Navy on Nov. 8 in South Bend, Ind. Carr is the grandson of Lloyd Carr, longtime Michigan Wolverines football coach who also played a year of football at Northern Michigan University in the 1960s. (AP file photo)

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