The College Football Playoff's current 12-team field is apparently hanging by a thread. Despite initial pushback from the likes of the SEC against doubling the field just two years after expanding form four to 12, the talks have picked up steam once again.
Earlier this month, the 30-day negotiating window with ESPN was opened to promote discussion about what a possible television structure would look like. Although the CFP contended that the move did not represent a firm commitment on expanding, it was a chance for the organization to " engage with ESPN and gather additional information to help determine a path forward."
This week, the CFP held a meeting that, according to ESPN's Heather Dinich, no votes were taken on expanding to 24 teams. Although for now, the system will stay at 12, there are still questions as the 30-day window is still open:
The CFP meeting has ended here as expected, with questions still looming in the midst of a 30-day negotiation window with ESPN. CFP ex. Dir. Rich Clark said no votes were taken in relation to a 24-team field, including the idea of requiring P4 leagues to schedule 10 P4 teams.
— Heather Dinich (@CFBHeather) September 30, 2026
But according to Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger, the move to go from 12 to 24 sounds more like a foregone conclusion than something that is still up in the air. Via Dellenger's reporting:
Things are serious — enough that Clark, when asked, revealed some of the schedule of a 24-team field. The new eight first-round games would "ideally" start a week after the regular season ends, he said, leaving an open week where the conference championship games are currently played. Also, the eight second-round games will "most likely" be played on the campus of the better seed in the third week of December, he said.
One of the biggest sticking points, however, is conference championship games, which a 12-team system would effectively eliminate. Per Dellenger, the elimination would result in an estimated $250 million in revenue. The big question now becomes whether or not the new TV deal will make up for the lost revenue.
One source added to Dellenger that if a decent TV deal can be reached the CFP is "definitely going to 24."
The concept of CFP expansion became a hot topic this summer. On the surface, expanding means more money and chances for teams to earn bids and cash in on the money the CFP brings in. But looking deeper, a 24-team playoff would drastically devalue the regular season, and put an end to conference title games that annually have huge stakes and draw huge audiences.
Unfortunately there are those of us that don't want to see this sport change so much that it becomes unrecognizable. It might be the beginning of the end of the current state of college football as we know it.
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