College Football Playoff to expand to 12 teams by 2026

The university presidents who oversee the College Football Playoff voted Friday to expand the postseason model for determining a national champion from four to 12 teams no later than the 2026 season.

A person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press that the presidents would like to have the new format in place as soon as the 2024 season. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because an official announcement was still forthcoming.

A process that started 14 1/2 months ago with an optimistic rollout of an ambitious plan, and then was derailed as conference leaders haggled over details and questioned each other's motivations, is now finally moving forward.

There are still issues to be hammered out by conference commissioners who comprise the CFP management committee, which is scheduled to meet next week. Most notably whether the logistical hurdles can be cleared in time for a new playoff to be up and running by 2024.

Last month, the CFP locked in sites for the championship games to be played after the 2024 and 2025 seasons. But the 11 presidents who make up the Board of Managers ultimately decide what happens with the playoff, and they took matters into their own hands to push the ball forward.

Iowa Athletics Director Gary Barta said Thursday night he was “supportive” of playoff expansion and would be “OK” with a 12-team CFP.

“The old saying, ‘The devil’s in the details,’” Barta said after Iowa’s monthly presidential committee on athletics meeting. “It’ll depend on, ‘Does that include the Big Ten championship? Where does the Rose Bowl fit in that?’ So I’m not ready to say, ‘Absolutely, let’s go.’”

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