College Football Playoff Votes to Expand Field to 12 Teams
The College Football Playoff has received varying levels of support for its current four-team format. Most members of Power Five conferences were happy with four teams, and Group of Five members mostly advocated for expansion.
The call for change quickly gained traction after UCF was left out of both the 2017 and 2018 College Football Playoff after undefeated regular seasons. It seems that the scales have tipped recently, as the Board of Managers has confirmed an expansion to twelve teams by 2026.
The news adds to a long list of recent shake-ups in college football, such as the implementation of NIL and major conference realignment. Moving forward, many more schools will have an opportunity to play meaningful football games after conference championship week.
NEWS: CFP presidents have unanimously approved to expand the College Football Playoff to 12 teams, sources tell @SINow. ESPN first.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) September 2, 2022
The date of implementation (2024 or 25 or 26) is being left for commissioners to determine, as well as details of the format.
Back when the College Football Playoff format was implemented, a rush of excitement swept over the world of college football. Finally, some sort of tournament was put into place rather than computer-generated BCS rankings deciding the championship game. Fans loved the idea of something at least somewhat similar to March Madness. An expansion to twelve teams will further amplify that March Madness feeling.
There is a potential drawback to expansion, which fans and analysts alike have used as an argument against it. The idea is that blowouts will become a commonality, as for example, Alabama may be going against a team that cannot match up with the Crimson Tide.
This may be true. However, blowouts in the College Football Playoff are already something that is a problem. Of 24 total College Football Playoff matchups, a whopping 12 of them have been decided by twenty points or more. If anything, blowouts may become less common, as the mid-tier teams that make the College Football Playoff could have some intriguing matchups against one another.
For schools in Group of Five conferences, this development is a major win. Depending on how the formatting works, the Group of Five may have a representative in the Playoff every single year. UCF will be in the Big 12 by the time the expansion comes into effect, but nonetheless this will help the program’s chances of having a legitimate shot at a College Football Playoff title.
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