College Football Playoff discussing further expansion, per report
The College Football Playoff is reportedly mulling further changes for future seasons.
On Tuesday, the CFP confirmed the methods of selecting the 12-team format. For the next two seasons, the 5 highest-ranked conference champions will be automatic qualifiers while the next 7 highest-ranked teams will receive at-large bids.
As for 2026 and beyond, the format is unclear, and the possibility of further expansion to the field is being discussed. According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the CFP Management Committee met Wednesday and discussed expanding the field beyond 12 teams.
Per Thamel’s report, a 14-team format was discussed at the meeting as an idea that would begin in the 2026 season. Nothing is imminent at this point in the process, but Thamel described it as “significant” that the topic came up.
Sources: The idea of a 14-team College Football Playoff was discussed by the CFP management committee at meetings in the Dallas area today. If that happened, it would begin in 2026. Nothing is imminent, but it’s significant this idea was discussed.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 21, 2024
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Mulling a 14-team format presents some interesting questions, including how to deal with automatic bids, byes and overall seeding.
While fans prepare for a brand-new Playoff format and an entirely new conference landscape, it looks like even more changes could soon be on the horizon. There is also a report that one proposal for the future of the CFP included multiple automatic bids for certain conferences.
