College football's new playoff format could be due for another change soon

College football just introduced a new playoff format for 2024, but the system may already be due for a makeover in the near future

While college football celebrates the introduction of its new, expanded playoff format starting in the 2024 postseason, certain ongoing trends inside the decision-making body could find the CFP going back to the drawing board in the very near future.

Right now, the existing 12-team, so-called "5+7" model is only a sure thing until the end of the 2025 season, when the CFP's existing deal with ESPN is set to expire.

That means, as of right now, the shape of the College Football Playoff is a completely open question as soon as 2026.

ESPN said that it and the College Football Playoff have been negotiating terms on a deal over a projected six years and worth more than $1 billion per year that will last through 2031, but the CFP brass is yet to actually agree on what the format will look like on the field in that time.

And that has some ESPN executives worried enough to consider rescinding the offer from the College Football Playoff if the latter doesn't have a plan in place relatively soon, as revealed by Puck business reporter John Ourand. It is not believed that ESPN has given a formal deadline to the CFP.

The matter is likely to be Topic A when the College Football Playoff Board of Managers, the CFP's highest decision-making body, and the Management Committee, the second-highest, both have talks in the coming days, according to insiders.

As it stands, the College Football Playoff will feature the five highest-ranked conference champions — with the four highest-ranked getting a first-round bye — and the next seven ranked at-large teams, making up the 12-team field.

Should that format go according to plan and result in more competition in college football's postseason, then it's likely the CFP will keep it in place going forward. Or, it's possible we could see the introduction of the original "6+6" model after that.

But with important people in the business looking for an answer sooner rather than later, and with billions of dollars on the table, there are big decisions still to be made that will affect the future of the sport for years to come.

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