The College Football Playoff Board of Managers voted today to expand the playoff format from four to 12 teams beginning in the 2026 season.
The new format was first unveiled in the fall and winter of 2021-2022, and now the College Football Management Committee (10 conference commissioners and the Athletic Director at Notre Dame) will now assess the possibility of starting the new format in 2024 or 2025 rather than 2026.
“This is an historic and exciting day for college football,” said Mark Keenum, chairman of the CFP Board of Managers and Mississippi State President. “More teams, more participation and more excitement are good for our fans, alumni, and student-athletes. I’m grateful to my colleagues on the board for their thoughtful approach to this issue and for their resolve to get expansion across the goal line and for the extensive work of the Management Committee that made this decision possible.”
Details of the format are still to be decided, such as dates, sites of games, broadcast channels, and more.
Some of the major details voted upon include: six conference champions and six at-larges, rankings will continue to be determined by the committee, the top four seeds will get byes, other eight seeds will play at campus sites, and more.
“I’m very pleased we were able to get this accomplished and I look forward to expansion taking place,” Keenum said. “The four-team playoff has been highly popular and successful. I believe this new format will be even more popular and successful.”