Saturday, October 24, 2026

CFP Meetings End With No Major Changes to 12-Team Playoff—for Now

The College Football Playoff is exploring potential format changes for next season, as well as 2026 and beyond. However, nothing has been agreed to yet.

Jan 21, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; College Football Playoff executive director Rich Clark speaks during the CFP National Championship Host Committee handoff press conference at The Westin Peachtree Plaza, Savannah Ballroom.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Want more from Front Office Sports
in your search results?

Add Front Office Sports on Google

The College Football Playoff’s annual spring meetings concluded without any major decisions about changing the format of the expanded, 12-team postseason bracket.

The CFP management committee—made up of FBS conference commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua—met in Dallas Tuesday afternoon through Thursday morning to discuss standard logistical and financial operations for the upcoming season, as well as ideas about how the Playoff could further evolve.

However, no big changes were agreed to this week, CFP executive director Rich Clark told reporters in Dallas on Thursday afternoon.

One idea that has seemingly had momentum this offseason is shifting to straight seeding, as opposed to the inaugural bracket, which gave the top four seeds (that come with first-round byes) to the highest-ranked conference champions. This past season, No. 9 Boise State received the third seed, and No. 12 Arizona State got the fourth seed.

That change and any other could still be made ahead of the 2025 season, as the CFP leaders are set to meet again in June. 

Ahead of this week’s meeting, a source told Front Office Sports that they expected things to remain status quo this year, before big changes come in 2026, since the CFP format for that season and beyond has not yet been set.

Other potential format changes in future years include more automatic qualifiers for the Big Ten and SEC, expanding to 14 or 16 teams, and more on-campus home games.

Download the FOS App

The business of sports, in your pocket.

QR code to download the app

Scan the QR code to get the app now.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

NFL’s Paris Game Set to Proceed Despite Saturday Protests

The Saints and Steelers are set to play at Stade de France in Paris.

CFB Firings Tracker: NC State, Maryland Owe Nearly $20M

More costly coaching changes could follow as pressure mounts across college football.

Troy Aikman Says He’d Consider Role With Cowboys

Aikman welcomes conversations with Jerry Jones as his ESPN contract nears expiration.

Luke Kuechly Calls Netflix NFL Role a Work ‘In Progress’

Kuechly is also calling some regional NFL action for CBS.
podcast thumbnail mobile
Front Office Sports Today

10/23/26 – JJ Watt Takes CBS Chair, FIFA Rights Shake-Up, Small-Market World Series

0:00

Featured Today

Football - NFL - Houston Texans v Jacksonville Jaguars - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - October 18, 2026 The necklace of a Jacksonville Jaguars fan outside the stadium before the match

Die-Hard Sports Fandom Has Reached the Afterlife

Will fans pay $6,000 to memorialize their team loyalty?
October 20, 2026

Why Europe Is Pumping Out NBA Superstars

The NBA and NCAA have an increasingly European flavor.
October 15, 2026

College Flag Football Is Outgrowing Its DIY Era

Women have been building the college game themselves at the club level.
Oct 5, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas arrives at the arena before the Penguins host the Winnipeg Jets at PPG Paints Arena
October 12, 2026

NHL’s New Wave of GMs Is Built Different

“I am in the prediction business,” Devils GM Sunny Mehta tells FOS.
Action Images/Peter Cziborra
October 9, 2026

Is Leicester City’s $264 Million Price Tag Too Rich for Hungry Investors?

After falling from grace, how much is a former top club worth?

Utah Is College Football’s PE Guinea Pig—and Its’ Cashing In

No. 10 Utah hosts No. 14 Houston on Saturday night.
Nov 22, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns flag on the field after a touchdown is scored during the first half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
October 23, 2026

Kirk Goldsberry Leads Texas’s AI Push and Understands the Skeptics

Goldsberry says the program will create jobs, not cut them.
October 23, 2026

Bowl Games Face Uncertain Future With a 24-Team CFP

College football bowl game viewership rose 13% year over year in 2025.
Sponsored

Blake Griffin’s Plan for Media Domination

The former NBA star is building a second act across media & entertainment.
Texas Tech's Brendan Sorsby looks on during the spring football game, Friday, April 17, 2026, at Jones AT&T Stadium.
October 22, 2026

Cincinnati’s $1M Sorsby Lawsuit Hangs Over Texas Tech Showdown

One of the biggest offseason storylines returns to the spotlight on Saturday.
Oct 10, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) looks on before the game between the Sooners and the Longhorns at Cotton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
October 22, 2026

Arch Manning’s Slump Clouds His Draft Stock, Texas’s Investment

Draft analysts now question whether Manning should declare—or transfer.
Kentucky's Jason Patterson (26) gets by Oklahoma's Owen Heinecke (38) in the second half of the college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Kentucky Wildcats at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Oct., 17, 2026.
First at FOS
October 22, 2026

Inside the First College Sports Super PAC

The PAC launched last month and hasn’t yet reported any donations.
Oct 11, 2025; College Park, Maryland, USA; Maryland Terrapins head coach Mike Locksley walks the sidelines during the first half against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
October 21, 2026

Maryland Breaks Ice With $10M Mike Locksley Firing

$4.9 million is due to Locksley within 60 days.