The College Football Playoff Could Expand To 12 Teams This Week, With The Change Taking Effect As Early As 2024
Sports Illustrated — University presidents are taking College Football Playoff expansion matters into their own hands.
In a scheduled virtual meeting Friday, the CFP’s highest-ranking governing body, the Board of Managers, is expected to chart the next course in Playoff expansion by potentially holding a vote that, if unanimous, could open the path for expansion as early as 2024, sources tell Sports Illustrated.
The 11-member Board of Managers, composed of a presidential representative from each FBS conference and Notre Dame, is wielding its authority over an expansion process that miserably failed this past spring when conference commissioners couldn’t agree on a format. The presidents, many of them frustrated at the commissioners’ futile attempts to expand, have spent several months seriously discussing expansion proposals and have reached what many consider to be a crescendo moment.
A vote is possible on an expansion model that could shape the next evolution of college football’s postseason, though details of the new format are likely to be left to commissioners to decide. Despite growing attraction to a 16-team field, the 12-team model remains the favorite as commissioners spent a year examining and vetting that proposal. They are believed to be close to agreeing to several unresolved concepts.
College football kicks off in earnest tonight, but there could be more big news off the field before the noon games on Saturday. The College Football Playoff Board of Managers will meet Friday and that meeting could result in the CFP expanding to 12 teams as soon as 2024.
I'm personally an anti-expansionist — I don't want to see teams who lost a quarter of their games in a sport that's supposed to have the most meaningful regular season competing for the national title — but a larger College Football Playoff field seems to just be a matter of when rather than if at this point. And they're blowing right past eight teams because why not throw a few more games in there and get those checks, too? We'll be at Mike Leach's proposed 64 team-field in no time.
But if you've been clamoring for CFP expansion, it seems like you might get that wish very soon.