Report: Details emerge on proposed 12-team College Football Playoff format
The College Football Playoff expansion working group is expected to recommend an expanded format to 12 teams for the future. The news was broken by Ross Dellenger and Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated. An official statement is expected to come on Thursday.
According to Dellenger, the 12-team format is expected include the 6 highest-ranked conference champions and 6 at-large bids. The 4 highest-ranked conference champions would receive an automatic bye while the other 8 teams would play first-round games on campus.
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Dellenger went on to say that it’s a “long way from done, but this is the recommendation.”
Sources tell me & @ByPatForde that the CFP working group is recommending a 12-team playoff: 6 highest-ranked conference champs & 6 at-large.
The 4 highest-ranked champs get a bye while other 8 play 1st-round games on campus.
Long way from done, but this is the recommendation.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) June 10, 2021
The current 4-team model was introduced before the start of the 2014 college football season. While it initially provided excitement to the sport, ratings for the event have dropped and there’s been growing scrutiny about the staleness and repetitiveness of the teams involved.
In the seven years of its existence, Alabama and Clemson have combined to win five national championships. Ohio State won the inaugural College Football Playoff title after the 2014 season and LSU claimed a championship following the 2019 campaign.
How quickly this new format would be implemented remains unknown. And though it’s not a “done deal” just yet, it certainly appears as though a new model for the College Football Playoff is imminent.