College Football Playoff to Remain at Four Teams Due to Division on Expansion

The playoffs will remain at four teams for at least the next four years.

The College Football Playoff committee did not reach an agreement on potential expansion, so the playoff remains at four teams through the 2025 season, which is when the current 12-year contract expires.

Sources told Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger on Friday that the committee canceled its next in-person meeting, which was set for March 2 in Dallas. Because of that, an agreement on a 12-team format will not be reached in time.

The College Football Playoff Board of Managers, which is made up of 11 presidents and chancellors, was told by the 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick on Wednesday that a unanimous decision could not be made on the expansion.

Bill Hancock, the executive director of the College Football Playoff, released a statement to announce the news on Friday. 

The College Football Playoff will not expand beyond four teams until at least 2026 pic.twitter.com/i1LSjWwRdX

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) February 18, 2022

In the statement, Hancock mentions that the committee is expected to continue meeting about a potential expansion for as early as the 2026–27 season. This gives the committee time to discuss concerns for an expansion more in detail before making the change.

”Even though the outcome did not lead to a recommendation for an early expansion before the end of the current 12-year contract, the discussions have been helpful and informative. I am sure they will serve as a useful guide for the Board of Managers and for the Management Committee as we determine what the Playoff will look like beginning in the 2026-2027 season,“ Hancock said in the statement.

College Football Playoff board chair Mark Keenum, the president of Mississippi State, told Dellenger that the expansion vote was 8–3, with the ACC, PAC-12, and Big Ten all voting against the 12-team proposal beginning in 2024.

It is unknown when the next committee meeting will take place following this news.