10 months ago

With 12-team playoff set, CFP already discussing possibly more teams for 2026 and beyond

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! DALLAS — Now that the yearslong process to finalize how the 12 teams for the expanded College Football Playoff will be selected for the next two seasons is complete, there are already discussions about maybe adding more teams for 2026 and beyond. The CFP management committee discussed the potential of a 14-team bracket on Wednesday, along with governance of the playoff and the distribution of growing revenue after the next two seasons. “Today was good in that it created that sense of ‘let’s keep working even faster,’ ” Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti said. “Today left everyone with an encouraging feeling.” Hancock said he wouldn’t get into details about any of the discussions concerning revenue, format or governance of the CFP moving forward since everything is subject to discussion and change, but said there were “very positive vibes on everything that we had in front of us.” Like over the past decade with a four-team setup, no conference has automatic access into the new 12-team playoff.

Teams College Sec Commissioner Football Playoff Cfp revenue discussing 2026 cfp football playoff 12team commissioner big college teams format possibly set 12

History of this topic

4 days, 13 hours ago

12-team college football playoff arrives after 100 years, a few billion dollars and many detours

Associated Press

It took more than 100 years, a few billion dollars and the cold, hard realization that you can’t fight progress forever. The first 12-team College Football Playoff kicks off Friday and Saturday with four first-round games on campuses steeped in gridiron tradition: Texas, Penn State, Notre Dame and Ohio State. A deal struck decades ago as part of the NFL’s …

2 weeks, 2 days ago

2024 College Football Playoff guide: What to know about the new 12-team format, at-large bids

New York Times

College football entered a new era Sunday with the unveiling of the first 12-team Playoff bracket. For most of its century-plus existence, college football had a “mythical national champion.” The sport’s season champion was determined after teams played in bowl games by various polls and rankings, which, of course, led to significant debate. The four quarterfinal games and both semifinals …

2 weeks, 4 days ago

Pride, bragging rights and more than $115M at stake when final college playoff rankings come out

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! INDIANAPOLIS — There’s more than just school pride and bragging rights to all that bellyaching over who might be in and who might be out of college football ‘s first 12-team playoff. According to the College Football Playoff website, the 12 teams simply making the bracket …

3 weeks, 3 days ago

CFP rankings: Georgia, Texas, and College Football Playoff madness in Week 14.

Slate

At the onset of fall, it was clear that the growth of the College Football Playoff from four teams to 12 would make this season unlike any other. Ole Miss is likely out of the playoff race because it plays miserable Mississippi State this week, and beating a team that goes winless in SEC play should not help the Rebels …

1 month ago

What we learned about the College Football Playoff: SEC upsets, Big 12 chaos, Indiana’s hopes

New York Times

The weekend before Thanksgiving often feels like the calm before the storm in college football. Interesting to read analysis from others as they examine “strength of schedule” in college football…it does seem there is a trend to be identified… pic.twitter.com/pXSfxRMxvL — Greg Sankey November 21, 2024 But at a certain point, it doesn’t seem like too much to ask these …

1 month ago

Chase for spots in SEC championship game still up for grabs with two games left in regular season

Associated Press

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — With two games left in the regular season, No. “There’s been no time ever where Texas A&M has been in the SEC, in the last two games controlled their own destiny to go to Atlanta. It’s the opportunity that you’ve trained for.” But a loss would create more chaos in an already tight race that could …

1 month, 2 weeks ago

Will the first College Football Playoff rankings of 12-team era favor Big Ten, SEC?

New York Times

Tuesday night’s College Football Playoff Top 25 rankings will surely be the most picked-apart first installment of a season since the CFP debuted in 2014. It’s also the committee’s first set of rankings in the new era of superconferences, where the SEC and Big Ten are trying to position themselves as superior to everyone else. “You can come from a …

1 month, 3 weeks ago

Strength of Schedule: A Key Factor in the 12-Team Playoff Brackets

Associated Press

The 12-team College Football Playoff selection committee will consider strength of schedule as a factor in determining the bracket. Strength of schedule is a measure of how difficult it is for a team to schedule games against other teams. This factor is not included in the traditional AP Top 25 poll, but it could play a significant role in determining …

1 month, 3 weeks ago

SMU's Unbeatable Streak Put to Test as No. 20 Panthers Aim to Knock Off Mustangs in ACC Showdown

Associated Press

SMU remains undefeated in the ACC, currently sitting at 7-1, and will face No. 18 Pittsburgh in a crucial matchup this Saturday night. The Mustangs' impressive performance this season has them poised to reach the 12-team College Football Playoff, but they will need to overcome challenges and maintain their physical prowess throughout the remaining games.

2 months ago

How 30-plus College Football Playoff contenders and their conference races collide in the weeks ahead

New York Times

As November approaches, more and more programs’ College Football Playoff hopes are dropping like autumn leaves from the trees. Key games before first CFP rankings: BYU at UCF, Oct. 26; Cincinnati at Colorado, Oct. 26; Texas Tech at Iowa State, Nov. 2. A failed drive for a last-second field goal cost them at Oregon, but games against Penn State, Indiana …

2 months ago

College Football Playoff Bubble Watch: Big 12, ACC should relish multiple bids if they get them

New York Times

Read The Athletic’s latest edition of College Football Playoff bubble watch. There’s a chance the Big 12 or ACC might be given two automatic bids in a Playoff that expands to 14 or 16 teams, but the two richest leagues hold all the power to make the rules after the nine conference commissioners and Notre Dame signed a new Playoff …

2 months, 1 week ago

College football midseason bowl projections: How new CFP format impacts rest of bowl season

New York Times

The expanded College Football Playoff will give this sport something that previously was unrivaled by the other sport: a true Selection Sunday. Texas Clemson-Alabama winner 8:45 p.m. ESPN Orange Jan. 9 Miami, Fla. Quarterfinal winner Quarterfinal winner 7:30 p.m. ESPN Cotton Jan. 10 Arlington, Texas Quarterfinal winner Quarterfinal winner 7:30 p.m. ESPN Championship Jan. 20 Atlanta Semifinal winner Semifinal winner …

2 months, 4 weeks ago

For ACC teams, adding an NFL-like front office is the new norm for transfer-portal recruiting

Associated Press

New Boston College coach Bill O’Brien wanted to build a pro-style approach to handle the growing demands of recruiting in the transfer-portal era. “We’re continuing to grow,” said California coach Justin Wilcox, whose Bears are in their first ACC season. If there’s more investment on the front end, I’ve got to believe the back end is going to look better, …

3 months ago

CFP Bracket Watch: Texas, Ohio State, Miami, Utah are top seeds as SEC hoards 1st-round home games

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! The top four seeds remain locked into The Associated Press’ College Football Playoff bracket projection as Miami and Utah move up the Top 25. 1 seed as the projected Southeastern Conference champion, followed by Ohio State as the second seed out of the Big Ten. ___ …

3 months, 1 week ago

SEC contenders handling early schedule of beefier foes instead of cupcakes to boost playoff resumes

Associated Press

One unknown to scheduling non-conference opponents years in advance is whether those future foes are as attractive when game day finally arrives as they were when the contract was signed. So, I’m certainly glad we were able to play a really good team, a good program like Clemson.” Even with a field featuring the five highest-ranked conference champions and seven …

3 months, 2 weeks ago

CFP Bracket Watch: More Southeastern Conference teams in 12-team field after Week 2

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Haters of the Southeastern Conference got a glimpse of a nightmare College Football Playoff scenario two weeks into the season. Using the AP Top 25 to set a projected 12-team bracket, half of the field would be SEC teams, including two-thirds of the top nine seeds. …

3 months, 2 weeks ago

ACC schools have a new path to more revenue: Just win... in the postseason

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! That “success initiative” could mean $20 million to $25 million more for a school in a big year, based primarily on football like everything else in college athletics. The plan also includes existing revenue distributions for success in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, with “units” earned …

4 months ago

Bulked-up Big Ten and SEC set to dominate college football on and off the field

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! “An incredibly strong conference, amazing TV deals, incredible partner, certainly exciting times to be part of the Big Ten,” Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens recent said recently on the Navigating Sports Business podcast. “Now, as a TV guy, if I’m going to pay increasing dollars, I’m …

4 months ago

Expanded college football playoff field provides more opportunities for bettors

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! LAS VEGAS — Missouri and Tennessee typically aren’t confused for Georgia and Ohio State when it comes to college football’s powers. Those teams still might not be, but they’re more in the conversation thanks to the expansion of the College Football Playoff field from four to …

4 months ago

Coast-to-coast conferences and expanded playoff mark a season of change in college football

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! College Football Playoff The expanded playoff will be spread over a month beginning Dec. 20-21 and could require the last two teams standing to play an unprecedented 17 games. The 12 playoff teams will be the five conference champions ranked highest by the CFP selection committee, …

4 months, 1 week ago

Who will make an expanded College Football Playoff? A potential bracket, using the Top 25 as a guide

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! — Unpredictability lingered into 2022, when five teams that would have gone on to make a 12-team playoff started the season unranked by AP, including national runner-up TCU. — Overall, 29 teams from 2014-23 that started the season unranked by AP would have made a 12-team …

6 months, 2 weeks ago

Expanded College Football Playoff will begin with 1st-round game on Dec. 20 in prime time

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! The first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff will kick off with a first-round game on Dec. 20 and conclude with the title game one month later in Atlanta. ABC and ESPN will televise games on Friday and Saturday night with an 8 p.m. EST …

6 months, 3 weeks ago

SEC still looking for more ESPN money to go to 9 conference games

New York Times

DESTIN, Fla. — The SEC office hasn’t given up trying to get more money from ESPN in exchange for adding a ninth conference game. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said the conference had “conversations with ESPN’s leadership a couple weeks ago just to re-engage” on the schedule, including to “help them understand that if we stay at eight what’s absent from …

7 months, 1 week ago

With CFP snub still stinging, Atlantic Coast Conference ponders how to boost football perceptions

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. — The College Football Playoff snub of unbeaten Florida State is still a fresh wound for the entire Atlantic Coast Conference. Unbeaten ACC champion Florida State was passed over after losing quarterback Jordan Travis to a season-ending leg injury late in the year, …

9 months ago

ESPN will remain the home of the College Football Playoff through 2031 under $7.8 billion deal

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! The College Football Playoff and ESPN announced a $7.8 billion deal Tuesday that will give the network exclusive rights to the expanded postseason through the 2031 season, with the national championship game moving to ABC starting in 2026. “It’s a significant day for the CFP and …

9 months, 1 week ago

Conferences and Notre Dame agree on 6-year deal to continue College Football Playoff through 2031

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! The nine Bowl Subdivision conferences and Notre Dame reached an agreement Friday on a six-year deal to continue the College Football Playoff through the 2031 season, a significant step that establishes a revenue-sharing plan and allows the CFP to finalize a media rights agreement. Executive Director …

9 months, 1 week ago

CFP leaders agree to framework of Playoff through at least 2031; expansion to 14 on hold

New York Times

Nine FBS conferences and Notre Dame have signed off on extending the College Football Playoff through the 2031 season, including an agreement on a new revenue distribution model beginning in 2026 in which the Big Ten and SEC will receive larger shares than the other conferences. There is an additional performance bonus available only to independents for making the CFP …

9 months, 1 week ago

College Football Playoff moving toward agreement between conferences needed to complete ESPN deal

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! The College Football Playoff is moving toward a revenue-sharing agreement among participating conferences that is needed in order to finalize a new media rights contact with ESPN. Conference officials were meeting separately this week with their schools to consider a deal that would commit them to …

9 months, 3 weeks ago

Analysis: Big Ten and SEC power play undermines credibility of playoff, marginalizes ACC and Big 12

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! There will be at least two 12-team playoffs, this season and next, but the Power Five is now down to four, dominated by a Big Two: The Southeastern Conference and Big Ten have decided to throw their weight around to protect their own interests with little …

9 months, 3 weeks ago

CFP weighing 14-team model with 3 automatic bids each for Big Ten, SEC

LA Times

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh and quarterback J.J. McCarthy celebrate with the College Football Playoff trophy. Playoff officials are considering an expansion plan that would include three automatic bids for the Big Ten and SEC and two each for the ACC and Big 12. College Football Playoff officials are considering a 14-team format that would guarantee three spots each for …

9 months, 3 weeks ago

College Football Playoff’s 14-team model could include 3 auto-bids for Big Ten, SEC

New York Times

Among the models discussed in the potential 14-team College Football Playoff expansion in 2026 is at least one that would include multiple automatic qualifying spots for each Power 4 conference. A person aware of the discussions told The Athletic a 3-3-2-2-1 model would feature three automatic spots each for the Big Ten and SEC, two each for the Big 12 …

10 months ago

How the 12-team College Football Playoff will work

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! The 12-team College Football Playoff is 10 months away from kicking off and the format for it has finally been locked in. University presidents who make up the CFP Board of Managers unanimously approved one last tweak to increase the number of at-large bids from six …

10 months ago

A 14-team field … already? CFP is fixing something that isn’t broken

New York Times

It was too good to be true. The SEC took the top two brands from Bowlsby’s conference, the Big Ten’s old commissioner annexed Los Angeles, the Big 12’s and Big Ten’s new commissioners went scorched earth on the Pac-12, and the ACC picked up their leftovers. GO DEEPER CFP officials discuss expanding to 14 or 16 teams for 2026 onward …

10 months ago

College Football Playoff approves 5+7 format and reduces spots for conference champions

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! The field for the 12-team College Football Playoff beginning next season will comprise five conference champions and seven at-large selections after the university presidents who oversee the CFP voted unanimously Tuesday to tweak the format. The original plan for the 12-team format was to have the …

10 months ago

College Football Playoff approves 12-team format, reduces spots for conference champs

LA Times

The field for the 12-team College Football Playoff beginning next season will comprise five conference champions and seven at-large selections after the university presidents who oversee the CFP voted unanimously Tuesday to tweak the format. The original plan for the 12-team format was to have the six highest-ranked conference champions, with the top four receiving first-round byes, and six at-large …

10 months ago

As CFP meetings resume with ESPN TV deal on table, the battle for control of the future rages

New York Times

— Reporting by Andrew Marchand, Nicole Auerbach, Stewart Mandel and Chris Vannini College football’s future could receive some needed clarity this week. Then there’s the question of governance: Would the Big Ten and SEC, having newly formed a joint advisory group to “take a leadership role in developing solutions for a sustainable future of college sports,” push for more autonomy …

10 months ago

College Football Playoff board approves move to 5+7 model for start of 12-team format

New York Times

The College Football Playoff Board of Managers on Tuesday voted unanimously to revise the format of the 12-team event to include the five highest-ranked conference champions and seven at-large bids, finalizing an adjustment from the original “6+6” model. The original 6+6 model, which was first introduced nearly three years ago alongside the initial proposal to expand to 12 teams, awarded …

10 months, 1 week ago

ESPN, College Football Playoff agree on 6-year deal worth $1.3 billion annually, AP sources say

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! ESPN and the College Football Playoff have agreed to a six-year deal worth $1.3 billion annually that allows the network to keep exclusive rights to the 12-team playoff through the 2031 season, two people with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press. ESPN was first …

11 months, 2 weeks ago

College Football Playoff delays tweaking 12-team format to decrease spots reserved for league champs

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! The College Football Playoff delayed reducing the number of spots reserved for conference champions from six to five in the upcoming 12-team format on Monday, though the change is expected to be in place next season. For now, the playoff format for the next two years …

11 months, 3 weeks ago

CFP 1.0 changed college football, not all for better, and was necessary step in postseason evolution

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! “I think what’s coming is going to be better, but this worked really well,” said Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick, one of the architects of the 12-team system that goes into effect next season. It’s easy to forget now, but the idea of a playoff …

1 year ago

Mandel’s Mailbag: Where’s the respect for Michigan, which teams overperformed?

New York Times

It was a bit of a quiet week in my inbox, perhaps not surprisingly given we’ve hit that holiday lull between the regular season and the major bowls. As for Kelly’s proposed 64-team football conference — that sounds neat and tidy, but what incentive do the SEC and Big Ten have to join forces with the less-valued ACC and Big …

1 year ago

What is Florida State’s next move? Life at the epicenter of CFP and realignment drama

New York Times

Burnt orange flashed and the University of Texas logo filled the screen, as the Big 12 champion Longhorns locked in the first College Football Playoff berth in program history as the No. “Florida State or Alabama — one spot,” said Rece Davis, host of ESPN’s selection show. “Nationally, the narrative around the ACC is that it’s a weaker, inferior conference …

1 year ago

AP Sports Story of the Year: Realignment, stunning demise of Pac-12 usher in super conference era

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! The redrawing of the college sports map and demise of the Pac-12, a conference that claims the most NCAA championships and a legacy that includes the likes of Jackie Robinson, Bill Walton, Aaron Rodgers, Katie Ledecky, Tiger Woods and Cheryl Miller, made conference realignment The Associated …

1 year ago

Analysis: With expansion coming, good riddance to the 4-team playoff after unprecedented snub of FSU

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! It’s just going to be better,” The final version of the four-team playoff produced a truly unsatisfying outcome Sunday when unbeaten Florida State was left out because, essentially, its starting quarterback got hurt. But the CFP devalued the rest of the postseason: Highly ranked teams left …

1 year ago

Who’s in the CFB playoffs? College football’s selection committee picks Alabama over Florida State.

Slate

The College Football Playoff selection committee has an easy job most years, and the committee members do it well. Best can mean many things, but in the context that playoff officials have used to explain it, the concept of “best team” is separate from “best résumé.” As College Football Playoff Executive Director Bill Hancock said last week, “ ‘Most deserving’ …

1 year ago

College Football Picks: Awkward trophy ceremonies, CFP implications highlight championship weekend

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! 19 Oklahoma State, Big 12 championship at Arlington, Texas, Saturday The Longhorns might need some help to reach the playoff if they win the Big 12 for the first time since 2009. 23 Toledo vs. Miami, Ohio, MAC championship at Detroit, Saturday The Rockets could become …

1 year ago

Loaded field of CFP contenders for last 4-team playoff fuels championship weekend drama

Associated Press

The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Florida State The Seminoles are perfect and in playoff position heading into their Atlantic Coast Conference title game against Louisville, but an injury to star quarterback Jordan Travis creates some uncertainty. If Florida State muddles past Louisville and Alabama beats Georgia in a competitive game, leaving …

1 year, 1 month ago

College Football Playoff close to moving to 5+7 model for 12-team format starting in 2024: Source

New York Times

The Athletic has live coverage of the College Football Playoff rankings release. The College Football Playoff is close to adjusting its 12-team format next year and moving to a 5+7 model, with five automatic bids for conference champions, instead of the original 6+6. The CFP management committee, made up of the 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack …

1 year, 1 month ago

Big 12 football scheduling model for 2024-2027 revealed: Breaking down the conference’s changes

New York Times

By Max Olson, Sam Khan Jr. and Justin Williams The Big 12 revealed its new football scheduling model for the 2024 through 2027 seasons Wednesday, offering a first look at how it will operate as a 16-team conference starting next year. Four protected rivalries will play every year in the new model: Arizona versus Arizona State, Baylor versus TCU, BYU …

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6 hours, 57 minutes ago