• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, October 15, 2025

Making Sense of What More CFP Expansion Would Mean

  • The College Football Playoff is already talking about increasing to 16 teams.
  • More expansion would impact the sport’s broadcasters and biggest schools.
James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

With the dust still settling on the College Football Playoff modifying the qualifying format for the expanded 12-team tournament that begins next season, talk is already shifting toward making that field even bigger. While meeting in Dallas this week, leaders of the CFP discussed the potential for a 14- and even 16-team playoff as soon as 2026, according to multiple reports.

The impact of growing from four to 12 teams won’t even be fully realized until next winter, and further expansion will surely lead to more ripple effects. Here’s what we know and what’s at stake:

First-Round Revenue

In December, the top four seeds will receive byes, while seeds 5–8 will host home playoff games against seeds 9–12. The CFP will retain all ticket revenue from those matchups and distribute it across conferences, the organization confirmed to Front Office Sports. So a 16-team playoff would simply mean more ticket revenue to share, as opposed to four more schools cashing in on a home playoff game. Details are still being finalized on what will happen to other revenue from things like concessions and parking.

Which Bowls Benefit?

In December, after the four first-round games on campuses, the quarterfinals and semifinals will be hosted by the traditional New Year’s Six bowls. A 16-team playoff could make even more schools unavailable for non-CFP matchups, but Nick Carparelli, the executive director of Bowl Season, is still optimistic about the future. “We’re very hopeful that after they experiment with the campus games this year, that they’ll realize that the bowl game experience is better for everyone involved,” he tells FOS. “College athletics—regardless of the sport—has always embraced the neutral site concept for postseason competition. And we think college football should maintain that.” Carparelli has one major reason in particular: “If there’s a discrepancy in the seeding of the playoff and a quality team has to go on the road, they may not think it’s such a good idea as they do now.”

Divvying Up TV Pie

FOS media reporter Michael McCarthy cites the law of unintended consequences in predicting the ensuing fallout: “My concern is how the expanded playoff will devalue the media rights—and overall value—of non-CFP bowl games. Once ESPN and other media giants divide up the only bowls that will matter, who’s going to want to televise second- and third-tier games? Even Barstool Sports might be backing out of college sporting events. On the business side, who’s going to sponsor these meaningless exhibitions? Chico’s Bail Bonds? So, good luck to these businesses in the future. Unless they come up with a gimmick like the Pop-Tarts Bowl, they’re going to need a new business plan.” 

But Fox Sports college football announcer Tim Brando tells McCarthy more playoff expansion is “tremendous for the overall growth” of the sport, in particular creating more meaningful matchups in November. 

Athlete Representation

Amanda Christovich, college sports reporter at FOS, says, “The talk of yet another College Football Playoff expansion illustrates the glaring lack of athlete representation in the sport. In the pros, any game expansion would be negotiated with a players’ union—just look at the back-and-forth between the NFL and the NFLPA over expanding the regular season to 17 games over 16. Especially in a sport like football, more games means more hours and more opportunity for injury. While player well-being was discussed as part of the 12-team expansion, it wasn’t the main issue. As always, the main issue was revenue generation—and that trend appears to be continuing as administrators consider future CFP models.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Cody Campbell

Texas Tech Booster Cody Campbell Slams Conference PE Deals

Campbell said the concept goes against “all the laws of finance.”
exclusive

WNBA’s Fire Prematurely Announce Head Coach Hire on LinkedIn

Portland is expected to hire Alex Sarama from the Cavaliers, FOS confirmed.
Oct 10, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) celebrates with teammates after game four of the 2025 WNBA Finals at Mortgage Matchup Center.

WNBA Finals Draws 1.5M Viewers, Second-Highest Series on ESPN

The four-game series averaged 1.5 million viewers.

Featured Today

Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) celebrates with her teammates after her last second shot to take the lead 90-88 against the Phoenix Mercury in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Oct. 8, 2025.
exclusive

Standoff Over WNBA’s Future Has Dominated Finals

CBA negotiations have stolen the spotlight from the Aces’ dominant performance.
Paul Cartier
October 5, 2025

Sports Organists Are Still Thriving in the Era of Raucous Arena Music

“When they walk out and they see a real organ guy, it’s like, ‘Wow.’”
Sep 27, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Jackson Chourio (11) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at American Family Field.
October 4, 2025

Milwaukee Moneyball: Brewers Are Beating MLB’s Deeper Pockets

Milwaukee is holding its own against big-budget competitors.
Kōloa Rum Company Rum Rusher
September 27, 2025

Panthers Bubbly, Jets Wine, Manning Whiskey: The Sports Booze Boom

A sommelier dives into the sports booze trend—and tries Jets wine.

Penn State Could Owe James Franklin Very Little of Buyout

FOS has reviewed Franklin’s 2021 contract extension.
October 13, 2025

College Football Coach Firings Nearing $100M in Contract Buyouts

Two other coaches besides James Franklin were fired Sunday.
Patrick Kraft
October 13, 2025

Penn State Says Adidas Had No Role in James Franklin Firing or..

Franklin is owed tens of millions of dollars.
Sponsored

How Jenny Just Is Shaping the Future of Sports Ownership

Jenny Just on bringing her investment experience to sports ownership.
October 12, 2025

Penn State Fires James Franklin, Will Pay Nearly $50M Buyout

The Nittany Lions lost again Saturday, falling to 3-3 this season.
Patrick Kraft
exclusive
October 11, 2025

Penn State, Adidas Deny Wrongdoing Around $300M Apparel Deal

The school and the brand publicly defended their 10-year deal Saturday.
Sep 27, 2025; Evanston, Illinois, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) passes the ball against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first half at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium.
October 10, 2025

Big Ten Vote on Investment From California Pension Expected

A vote is expected to happen as early as next week, FOS confirmed.
Oct 9, 2025; Rosemont, IL, USA; Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti speaks during Big Ten MenÕs Basketball Media Days at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.
October 10, 2025

In an Expanded March Madness, Big Ten Favors Straight Seeding

Discussion around expanding the tournament continues to escalate.