After an expansion from four teams to 12 for the 2024 season, the only change for the 2025 iteration of the College Football Playoff is with the seeding. Last year, the top four conference champions received the four first-round byes no matter where they were ranked in the committee’s final set of rankings.

Alabama retooled with an effective offseason, but is it enough to make the playoff in the face of a tough schedule, with a new starting quarterback?