College Football Playoffs Expected To Expand To 12-Team Format
A new era of the College Football Playoffs is set to begin in the coming years.
And as a result, the Bears road to that playoff has just gotten substantially easier.
According to ESPN, the CFP board of managers approved a new 12-team playoff format Friday morning. The format is expected to be enacted by 2026.
The 11-member committee, which includes presidents and chancellors representing each of the 10 FBS conferences, officially approved the original 12-team model pitched earlier this year. The initial model approved the six highest-ranked conference champions to receive an automatic bid, while six other programs would receive at-large bids.
The 10 commissioners, plus Notre Dame athletic director Jack Schwarbick, are expected to meet in Dallas to finalize the details next week.
The CFP’s current four-team playoff format runs through the 2025 season due to the contract set with ESPN. According to several reports, the commissioners could elect to move forward with a dozen teams in the postseason as early as 2024. The committee is also expected to determine how each program can qualify for the CFP in a fair manner.
Fans of college football have been clamoring for expansion over the past several seasons due the level of competition.
In 2020, fans criticized the current format after Texas A&M was left out of the rankings with an 8-1 record in favor of a 7-0 Ohio State roster. Last season, Cincinnati made headlines as the first Group of Five program to make the CFP since its inauguration in 2014.
The Bears, coming off of a Big 12 championship, also had an argument to make the playoff last season. In the new proposed format, it would almost be a certainty.
According to CBS Sports, the new playoff format will help expand the annual revenue from $600 million to $1.2 billion. It is unclear if the new ruling will put a limit on how many teams from one conference will be able to qualify for a chance to make the postseason.
InsideTheBears.com will continue to keep you up with the status of the new College Football Playoff format moving forward.
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Cole Thompson is a sports writer and columnist covering the NFL and college sports for SI's Fan Nation. A 2016 graduate from The University of Alabama, follow him on Twitter @MrColeThompson