A big change is coming to the College Football Playoff with a new seeding model ready to debut this season, as the committee will forgo the distinction between rankings and seedings, and simply award the 12 highest-ranked teams a place in the postseason field.

“After evaluating the first year of the 12-team playoff, the CFP Management Committee felt it was in the best interest of the game to make this adjustment,” College Football Playoff executive director Rich Clark said.

“This change will continue to allow guaranteed access to the playoff by rewarding teams for winning their conference championship, but it will also allow us to construct a postseason bracket that recognizes the best performance on the field during the entire regular season.”

What can we expect in what should be another historic College Football Playoff field? For that, we turned to Grok to get a preview of who will be seeded where.

1. Ohio State

Kentucky baseball has a Top 10 transfer class — and still just 7th in the SEC

If you needed another reminder of how brutal life in the SEC is, Kentucky baseball just gave you one: the Wildcats landed the 7th-best transfer portal class in the country, per 64Analytics — and still rank only 7th in the conference.

That’s not an indictment of Kentucky. That’s a reflection of how loaded the SEC remains, fresh off LSU sweeping the College World Series and the league sending a record number of teams to the NCAA Tournament.

Here’s how the SEC dominates the national transfer rankings:

1. Mississippi State
2. Tennessee
3. Georgia
4. Texas
5. South Carolina
6. Auburn
7. Kentucky
8. Alabama

Nick Mingione’s squad might not have the flashiest class, but it’s deep, balanced, and built for postseason baseball. Kentucky reloaded the pitching staff with Kaden Echeman (Northern Kentucky), Burkley Bounds (Eastern Kentucky), Jack Bennett (Western Kentucky), Ryan Mullan (Loyola Marymount), and Bryson Treichel (North Florida). That’s five arms with college experience and toughness.

Jackson Soucie joins from South Carolina to bolster the left side. In the infield, Tyler Cerny (Indiana) and Connor Mattison (Grand Canyon) bring versatility. Alex Duffey (Elon) adds pop behind the plate, while Scott Campbell (USC Upstate) is a name to know in the outfield.

On the freshman front, Kentucky’s class is ranked 24th nationally, headlined by Owen Jenkins, a top-30 national prospect and a big-time catcher out of Lexington Catholic. Add in pitching depth with righties Joshua Flores, Lucas Hall, and Jacks Sams, plus lefties like Will Coleman and Toby Peterson, and the foundation is set.

Let’s not forget — the Bat ‘Cats reached a Regional Final last season, coughing up two separate five-run leads in a gutting elimination loss. That stung. But with this infusion of talent, the goal is clear: win those close games in 2025 and make a deeper postseason run.

In the SEC, standing still means falling behind. But Kentucky isn’t standing still. They’re building a roster that can go toe-to-toe with anyone.

To steal a line from Freddie Maggard, “Play ’em all!” You probably know him as an exceptional KSR Football Podcast host who spent a couple of years starting under center at Commonwealth Stadium. What you probably didn’t know is that Freddie nearly skipped college to play Major League Baseball. Scouts filled the Cumberland stands when he threw a no-hitter and hit three home runs. Matt Ponatoski is the modern day Maggard, but better (no offense, Freddie).

We’ve spent plenty of time dissecting what Ponatoski can bring to the Kentucky football team, but what exactly could he do for Nick Mingione’s baseball program?

Playing two sports at the Power Conference level is a challenge rarely accepted. Austin Simmons spent one year on the diamond at Ole Miss before focusing all of his attention on learning the quarterback position for Lane Kiffin. The merits of this undertaking will be discussed thoroughly in the coming months and years. We can save that for another day.

Professional baseball scouts have eyed Ponatoski for years. As you might suspect, the quarterback is also a pretty good pitcher who can throw it up to 97 mph. He can also swing the bat. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Ponatoski hit .462 as a junior with seven doubles, four home runs, 37 RBIs, and a .556 on-base percentage. 

Following his junior season, Ponatoski was the Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year in football and baseball. He was a Second Team All-American selection as a shortstop, the position he’s projected to play at the next level.

Prep Baseball Report ranks Ponatoski as the No. 14 recruit in the 2026 class. Ohio Scouting Director Kyle Weldon shared with Bat Cats Central’s Derek Terry what makes him such a special prospect.

“Matt has elite arm strength,” Weldon said. “He has a plus hit tool with the potential to be a plus power guy eventually. He’s a winner profile, which has been seen on the football field too. This is a guy that’s highly competitive, highly skilled and has a lot of natural talent. When you combine all those things, it makes him a really sought-after prospect.”

Today was a big win for Mark Stoops and Nick Mingione. The talented athlete made the short drive from Cincinnati to Lexington often, but actually used his official visit for baseball. Before the baseball vs. football debate begins, Ponatoski made it clear to Jacob Polacheck that he wants to play ’em all.

“I’m going to try and do both for as long as possible,” he said. “The goal for me is to be drafted in both [sports]. It sounds crazy, but Kyler Murray did it not too long ago.”

In a conversation with reporters following his decision, he added, “I think people might think it might be too much, but it’s what I signed up for and I’m ready to go.”

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Not all recruiting wins are created equally. This time, it’s not just a win for Mark Stoops, but for Nick Mingione. Matt Ponatoski has committed to Kentucky.

“I’ll be committing to the University of Kentucky to play baseball and football,” Ponatoski tells KSR+. “Big Blue Nation, I’m ready to work. I’m coming not to change the program, but we’re going to put the program on the map.”

The Cincinnati Moeller athlete is an expert at throwing balls. He was tabbed as the most accurate quarterback in the country during last week’s Elite 11 camp. He’s also an All-American shortstop, ranked as one of the Top 20 baseball recruits in the country.

Mark Stoops secured a commitment from Ponatoski without actually hosting him for an official visit. Nick Mingione hosted him on behalf of the Bat Cats this spring. That’s right around the time his football recruitment really blew up. Alabama and Oregon entered the picture, and each school was able to get him on campus. Prior to his trip out west for the Elite 11 and his Oregon OV, he made a crucial pitstop in Lexington. That trip to meet with Bush Hamdan and the rest of the offense set the wheels in motion for this historic commitment.

Ponatoski is the most prolific quarterback recruit to commit to Kentucky since Tim Couch. He’s the ninth-ranked quarterback in the country and No. 100 overall player, according to On3. That ranking is going to soar once all of the recruiting services complete their next round of updates.

Often considered a baseball-first prospect, he might not have even been ranked when he camped at Kentucky last summer. Then he went out and dominated the most competitive division in Ohio high school football.

Ponatoski threw for 4,200 yards, 58 touchdowns, and only three interceptions in the Greater Catholic League. He was often the best player on the field in front of sold-out crowds. The College GameDay crew was in the stands when Ponatoski outdueled St. X’s Chase Herbstreit in a 45-37 playoff shootout. In the semifinals the following week, Ponatoski had 431 yards and six touchdowns in the first half. Moeller ultimately fell short in the Ohio Division I State Championship Game, a 28-14 loss to Olentangy Liberty.

In 2024, Ponatoski was Ohio Mr. Football. He earned Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year honors in both baseball and football.

What People Say About Ponatoski’s Game

The Elite 11 Camp earlier this month put Ponatoski on center stage in front of noteworthy talent evaluators and reporters around college football. Even though he did not win the event, it was clear that he was one of the best players on the field.

“Ponatoski looked like the most accurate Elite 11 Finalist throughout the week,” On3’s Director of Scouting Charles Power wrote. “The Cincinnati native was a smooth operator each day. He made drill work look easy, consistently delivering well-placed, catchable passes. Ponatoski carried that into Day 2, turning in one of the more impressive pro day showings while earning the highest score from the Elite 11 staff. The capped the week off with a solid showing in 7-on-7 that saw him throw three touchdowns. A dual sport star who doubles as a top baseball prospect, Ponatoski is an accurate, rhythm passer with natural timing and feel.

The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman has been covering the event for more than 20 years, and this year’s group was one of the most talented he’s ever seen.

“The most pleasant surprise to me was Ohio’s Matt Ponatoski, ranked as the No. 29 QB by 247Sports. The two-sport star has an electric arm, having been clocked at 97 mph as a pitcher. That arm wowed me Thursday morning in his 7-on-7 performance. The 6-1, 196-pounder, who is uncommitted, made two ‘wow’ throws to receivers who didn’t look open at all, but he fired the ball into the only spot he could and completed the passes. It was impressive.”

Justin Hoover, one of the coaches at the event, told Feldman, “He had a couple of those every day we were here. He’s got some confidence to put it in places that others wouldn’t even attempt to throw. He really stood out.”

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