The College Football Playoff (CFP) Board of Managers announced on Tuesday that the College Football Playoff would expand from four teams to 12 teams starting this upcoming season.
The new 12-team format will now include the five highest-ranked conference champions which guarantees that at least one team outside of the Big 12, ACC, Big Ten, and SEC will make it to the playoff.
The College Football Playoff Selection Committee will then pick the next seven highest-ranked teams for the remaining at-large spots.
“This is a very logical adjustment for the College Football Playoff based on the evolution of our conference structures since the board first adopted this new format in September 2022,” said Dr. Mark Keenum, president of Mississippi State University and Chair of the CFP Board of Managers. “I know this change will also be well received by student-athletes, coaches and fans. We all will be pleased to see this new format come to life on the field this postseason.”
The original playoff called for including the six highest-ranked conference champions but the College Football Playoff (CFP) Board of Managers revised the number down to five, likely due to the Pac-12 Conference dissolving.
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“Under the 12-team playoff format that begins this fall, the four highest-ranked conference champions will be seeded one through four and each will receive a first-round bye, while teams seeded five through 12 will play each other in the first round on the home field of the higher-ranked team,” the College Football Playoff said in a statement. “The quarterfinals and semifinals will be played in the New Year’s Six bowl games, the national championship game will continue to be at a neutral site. No conference will qualify automatically and there will be no limit on the number of participants from a conference.”