Now that the process to finalize how the 12 teams for the expanded College Football Playoff will be selected for the next two seasons is complete, discussions are already underway about potentially adding more teams for 2026 and beyond. The CFP management committee recently discussed the possibility of a 14-team bracket, along with governance of the playoff and the distribution of growing revenue after the next two seasons. However, no conclusions were reached after nearly nine hours of discussions among the 10 FBS conference commissioners and Notre Dame's incoming athletic director.
The format for the upcoming season will include the five highest-ranked conference champions and seven at-large teams, tripling the size of the playoff field. The CFP managers began working on an expansion plan in 2019, with progress potentially slowed down by the pandemic.
With no contract in place for the CFP beyond the 2025 season, pressing issues such as revenue distribution and governance need to be addressed promptly. A six-year contract extension with ESPN worth about $1.3 billion annually has been agreed upon in principle, but finalization is pending as details related to revenue distribution and governance are still being worked out.
The CFP aims to finalize the format and new TV deal within about a month. Discussions on revenue, format, and governance were described as positive, with a focus on moving forward collaboratively.
Under the previous four-team playoff system, the Power Five conferences received the majority of the revenue, with the Group of Five receiving the rest. With the new 12-team format and changes in conference alignments, the distribution of revenue is expected to undergo significant changes.
The SEC will expand to 16 teams next fall with the addition of Texas and Oklahoma, while the Big Ten will grow to 18 teams with the inclusion of four departing Pac-12 members. The formation of a joint advisory group by the SEC and Big Ten aims to address challenges in college sports.
Unanimity among all conferences and Notre Dame was required for the expansion to 12 teams, a process that took considerable time. Moving forward, changes may be made to the decision-making structure to give certain entities more influence.
Conference realignment continues, with Pac-12 teams moving to the Big 12 and ACC, leaving only two teams in the Pac-12. The league will continue to operate while playing most games against Mountain West opponents.
