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The College Football Playoff is increasingly at risk of entering the 2025 season without a clear direction on its format beyond this year.
While CFP leaders have agreed to move to a straight-seeding structure this season, they remain unable to reach an agreement on what the makeup of the Playoff will be in 2026 and beyond, when a media-rights extension with ESPN kicks in.
There is a Dec. 1 deadline for the CFP to notify ESPN of any format changes for 2026, including expansion. While most stakeholders within the Power 4 appear comfortable growing the bracket from 12 to 16 teams, there is not yet a consensus on how teams would qualify.
June 18 is the last scheduled meeting of the CFP management committee—made up of FBS conference commissioners and Notre Dame AD Pete Bevacqua—before games begin in late August. If a decision is not made by then, CFP leaders will have to call a special session later in the summer to avoid bleeding their format debate into the season. Week Zero of the new season kicks off Aug. 23.
What’s on the Table?
During recent spring meetings for the Power 4 conferences, some momentum was built around a 5+11 model that would see the five highest-ranked conference champions and the next 11 highest-ranked teams make a 16-team Playoff.
However, a divide remains around the Power 4 not having alignment on regular-season scheduling. Big Ten and Big 12 teams each play nine conference games per season, while the SEC and ACC play eight.
In 2024, the 12 CFP teams paid $27 million to the Group of 5 and FCS schools for their non-conference schedules.
