ESPN wants the 12 best teams, so they did away with division's. They hope in 2025, that Bama never lose to the OU, Vanderbilt of CFB.
ESPN is basically saying, darn it BSU for having a bye and Bama should have made the playoffs.
Put teams in division's, just like in the NFL (like it not, CFB is now a semi pro organization) and establish your playoffs around that.
ESPN will see that this never happens.