The College Football Playoff has been in place for just over ten years, which, in the grand scheme of things, is relatively short.
However, it has already undergone a significant transformation with the expansion from a four-team format to 12 teams, with the first season under the new structure taking place this past year.
While the current format will remain in place for the upcoming season, there is potential for substantial changes to the CFP starting in 2026.
Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports recently detailed potential upcoming changes to the College Football Playoff. However, it’s crucial to recognize that the SEC and Big Ten hold complete authority over future decisions.
A memorandum signed by executives from 10 conferences and Notre Dame grants these two power conferences control over the CFP’s direction starting in 2026, once the current contract expires.
Discussions about possible adjustments have been widespread, and according to Dellenger, the changes the SEC and Big Ten may implement could be significant.
Under the current 12-team format, only five teams receive automatic berths in the College Football Playoff.
These spots are awarded to the five highest-ranked conference champions, with the top four earning a first-round bye and advancing directly to the quarterfinals.
One major change the SEC and Big Ten are strongly considering is increasing the number of automatic bids for their conferences.
Their proposal would grant each conference four guaranteed spots in the College Football Playoff each season, while the ACC and Big 12 would receive two each.
Although at-large spots would still be available, the number of these selections would depend on the overall size of the playoff field.One model that has been floated around is a 14-team CFP.
The first thing worth mentioning is that the top two seeds would receive a bye into the quarterfinals while the 12 other teams battle it out for the final six spots in the quarterfinals.The 16- team model is the exact same as the 14 team model, just with more at-large selections.
The Big Ten and SEC still get four teams automatically with the Big 12 and ACC getting two. The highest ranked Group of Five Champion gets in as well which would leave three at-large selections with one automatically going to Notre Dame if they finish inside the top 14.
