Friday, October 2, 2026
  • -
    days
  • -
    hours
  • -
    minutes
  • -
    seconds

College Football Playoff Uncertainties Take Center Stage As Season Begins

  • College Football Playoff leaders are meeting on Wednesday to discuss future format changes.
  • The playoff will expand to 12 teams in 2024 but realignment has thrown everyone for a loop.
Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch

Want more from Front Office Sports
in your search results?

Add Front Office Sports on Google

On the eve of nearly a dozen college football kickoff games, the sport’s leaders are gathering to lay out — and maybe drastically alter — how a lucrative and expanded postseason will work in 2024 and beyond.

Conference commissioners and other key power brokers of the College Football Playoff are meeting in Dallas on Wednesday amid unprecedented realignment — a phenomena that has made top executives rethink what the 12-team playoff should look like come next season.

Originally, the expanded CFP was set to include the six highest-ranked conference champions — to ensure each of the Power Five conferences and one Group of Five school were represented — and the remaining six highest-ranked teams. This season, conferences will earn $6 million for each team they have in the playoff, a figure that could be even higher next year.

With the Pac-12 dissolving, a simple playoff change could be a move to the five highest-ranked conference champions and seven at-large entries. But it may not be that simple — at least one report claims no official vote will be taken Wednesday.

Leaders could be waiting to see where Stanford, California, Oregon State, and Washington State end up before making any final decisions.

Get Your Popcorn

This season’s CFP contests will be among 75 college football games that ESPN will broadcast from movie theaters. 

This weekend, the Virginia-Tennessee, North Carolina-South Carolina, LSU-Florida State, and Clemson-Duke matchups will be available to watch on the big screen. Financial details of ESPN’s new deal with Theater Sports Network are unknown, while ticket pricing to watch the games varies by location.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Sign up for
The Memo Newsletter

Get the biggest stories and best analysis on the business of sports delivered to your inbox twice every weekday and twice on weekends.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks with New York Yankees president Randy Levine as they attend a roundtable event on collegiate sports at the White House in Washington, D.C., March 6, 2026.
Exclusive

SEC and Big Ten Don’t Want to Expand: Randy Levine

Levine argued amending the conference realignment provision would be unnecessary.
Apr 3, 2026; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Detail view of an NCAA basketball in the hoop during the second half of a semifinal of the Final Four of the women's 2026 NCAA Tournament between the UConn Huskies and the South Carolina Gamecocks at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Ohio Court Reverses Grandfathering of Athletes Into NCAA Eligibility

Parallel litigation remains ongoing in several states.
Dec 31, 2025; Arlington, TX, USA; A detailed view of the College Football Playoff logo on the pylon during the game between the Miami Hurricanes and Ohio State Buckeyes during the 2025 Cotton Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

ESPN’s Exclusive Window Closes Next Week As 24-Team CFP Looms

The College Football Playoff has until Dec. 1 to expand for 2027.

How the Baseball Cap Became a ‘Behemoth’

The hat has become essential for athletes, fans, and the sports-agnostic.
podcast thumbnail mobile
Front Office Sports Today

A Conversation with Randy Levine on the Yankees’ $2.6B Apollo Deal and the Protect College Sports Act

0:00

Featured Today

Morishita-Sato-homerun-celebration-at-Meiji-Jingu-Baseball-Staidum-2025

Japanese Baseball Is Fighting Back Against MLB Talent Drain

Nippon Professional Baseball is reimagining how to be a global juggernaut.
Aug 9, 2026; Bedminster, New Jersey, USA; President Donald Trump walks out of the clubhouse during the final round of the LIV Golf New York tournament at Trump National Bedminster.
September 25, 2026

Trump’s Year of Sports Gets Busier With CFB, Presidents Cup

The impact of Trump’s attendance varies across each sporting event.
A Bar of Their Own
September 25, 2026

Women’s Sports Bars: Novelty Has Worn Off, ‘That’s a Good Thing’

They’re leveling up, but sustainability remains the first consideration.
Hot & Social/Mets
September 18, 2026

Sports Teams Are Playing a New Role: Matchmaker

The latest promotion at the stadium? Love.
Exclusive
September 18, 2026

Vicious Infighting Is Jeopardizing the Future of Women’s Baseball

The WPBL’s own CEO admits there’s a “power struggle.”
Arizona State hockey head coach Greg Powers watches his team as they play UMass-Lowell at Oceanside Ice Arena on Jan. 12, 2018, in Tempe.

ASU Commissions Independent Investigation of Hockey Workout

Coach Greg Powers was placed on leave earlier this week.
Arizona State hockey head coach Greg Powers watches his team before a game against UMass-Lowell at Oceanside Ice Arena on Jan. 12, 2018,
October 1, 2026

ASU Hockey Coach Administrative Leave Isn’t Enough: Attorneys

They also renewed their calls for an independent investigation.
Exclusive
October 1, 2026

Where Does New Big East Commissioner Stand on PE?

Commissioner Tim Brosnan told FOS that PE firms have approached the league.
Sponsored

Beyond the Scorecard: How Dow Is Putting Purpose at the Center of Women’s Golf

Discover how Dow and the LPGA are building a partnership with lasting impact.
Sep 26, 2026; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Kamario Taylor (1) passes the ball during warm ups prior to the game against the Missouri Tigers at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
October 1, 2026

Can Mississippi State Keep Kamario Taylor?

Chiefs star Chris Jones has vowed to try to keep Taylor in Starkville.
October 1, 2026

College Basketball Player in ICE Custody Allowed to Re-Open Case

Kentucky State’s Senegalese center was detained at the airport on Aug. 7.
September 30, 2026

Ted Cruz: Critics of ESPN ‘College GameDay’ Appearance ‘Partisans’

The Texas Republican defended his appearance in an interview with FOS.
Detroit Cass Tech players warm up ahead of a high school football game against rival Detroit King at Cass Technical High School in Detroit on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. The Detroit skyline is seen in the background.
September 30, 2026

$399 Rivals Evaluations Test What a Recruiting Ranking Is Worth

Coaches are split on whether rankings still matter in recruiting.