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The College Football Playoffs could soon be changing once again.
The first iteration of the 12-team playoff field was a major success. More high-stakes games among the best programs in the nation proved to be a solid model for fandom.
Were there issues? Absolutely. The seeding seemed a bit flawed, with byes being handed out and other problems persisting because of such.
For the most part, though, the idea of having a 12-team playoff was a major hit, and having playoff games being played on college campuses is an incredible idea.
The playoff committee was always going to learn from the first edition of the expanded playing field, though many expected the next move to be to tweak the current model with 12 teams.
Could college football skip that part and make those tweaks while letting four more programs into the playoff field?
According to Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger, that's certainly a possibility, as the idea of a 16-team field is "getting support."
Here's how many bids each conference would get in a hypothetical 16-team field:
Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (2) against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the CFP National Championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Of course, there will be a focus on Notre Dame, as they only get one of the three seeds to make the playoffs -- if any -- given that they have no conference affiliation.
This hypothetical field also brings a Power Two -- that being the Big Ten and SEC -- as opposed to a Power Four, with the Big 12 and ACC then falling behind the other two major conferences.
ESPN's Pete Thamel echoed a similar sentiment, claiming a source told him a 16-team field, which would start during the 2026 season, is preferred.
"I would say that 16 is becoming more preferred," a source told Thamel. "It seems like 16 may be the preferred number, but there’s no format decision."
It seems the College Football Playoff is poised to have significant changes, whether it be to the current 12-team format or adding four more programs to the mix.
Continue reading...
The first iteration of the 12-team playoff field was a major success. More high-stakes games among the best programs in the nation proved to be a solid model for fandom.
Were there issues? Absolutely. The seeding seemed a bit flawed, with byes being handed out and other problems persisting because of such.
For the most part, though, the idea of having a 12-team playoff was a major hit, and having playoff games being played on college campuses is an incredible idea.
The playoff committee was always going to learn from the first edition of the expanded playing field, though many expected the next move to be to tweak the current model with 12 teams.
Could college football skip that part and make those tweaks while letting four more programs into the playoff field?
According to Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger, that's certainly a possibility, as the idea of a 16-team field is "getting support."
Here's how many bids each conference would get in a hypothetical 16-team field:
- Big Ten: 4
- SEC: 4
- Big 12: 2
- ACC: 2
- Group of Six: 1
- At-large: 3
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Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (2) against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the CFP National Championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Of course, there will be a focus on Notre Dame, as they only get one of the three seeds to make the playoffs -- if any -- given that they have no conference affiliation.
This hypothetical field also brings a Power Two -- that being the Big Ten and SEC -- as opposed to a Power Four, with the Big 12 and ACC then falling behind the other two major conferences.
ESPN's Pete Thamel echoed a similar sentiment, claiming a source told him a 16-team field, which would start during the 2026 season, is preferred.
"I would say that 16 is becoming more preferred," a source told Thamel. "It seems like 16 may be the preferred number, but there’s no format decision."
It seems the College Football Playoff is poised to have significant changes, whether it be to the current 12-team format or adding four more programs to the mix.
Continue reading...
