Friday’s news that the College Football Playoff is expanding from four teams to 12 no later than 2026 seemingly ended a drawn-out debate to one of college football’s major issues in competition. And after the news broke, commissioners across the college football landscape chimed in.
The expansion means that most of the programs in these conferences will have an exponentially better chance at playing for a national championship than ever before.
The new model grants automatic bids to the six highest-ranked conference champions, gives first-round byes to the highest ranked four champions and completes the field with six at-large selections. First-round games, between seeds 5 through 12, are expected to be played on campus or at a location designated by the better seed. A rotation of six bowls will host quarterfinals and semifinals. For more complete details of the model, see here.
