Back to the Baylor Bears Newsfeed

College Football Playoff to expand to 12-team format in 2026

By Michael Haag | Sports Editor

The College Football Playoff’s board of managers officially decided on a 12-team College Football Playoff format during Friday’s meeting, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported. The new model is expected to start in 2026 after the current contract ends. Thamel said in a tweet, “There’s still a chance that it could go earlier, but those details are complicated and would take some time to work out.”

According to Thamel, the main reason for the shift in format is money. He added, “Presidents felt as if they were leaving too much on the table,” in a subsequent tweet.