We’re still ten months away from the first edition of an expanded 12-team College Football Playoff. But, that hasn’t deterred the brass of the sport from deciding that 12 isn’t enough, and the playoff will actually expand to 14 teams.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on Thursday that the next iteration of the system is expected to be finalized “in the next 24 hours”, with a 14-team edition beginning in 2026 after just two full seasons of the 12-team version.
Then, on Friday, ESPN’s Heather Dinich reported that all ten FBS conferences along with Notre Dame have agreed to the next CFP contract which brings the sport closer to a 14-team edition that will include guarantees for conference champions.
As of now, no 14-team format has been officially agreed upon, but it seems inevitable with protections for teams and conferences being included in the terms of the new deal.
The new contract begins in 2026 and includes a guarantee that “at least” 12-teams will be included, with a “strong preference” for 14 according to Dinich.
RELATED: As playoff expansion looms, SEC title game stakes will drop
In a 14-team scenario, the five highest-ranked conference champions and the next nine highest-ranked teams would be the teams included.
The financial distribution of the new format is also fascinating, with teams from the SEC and Big Ten being guarantee a much larger piece of the pie than even other power conferences.
Big Ten and SEC schools will each be making more than $21 million each while the ACC schools will receive $13 million and the Big 12 will receive $12 million.
Over the next six seasons, ESPN is expected to spend nearly $1.3 billion on the College Football Playoff.
Negotiations to the exact format of the new playoff will continue until an official agreement is reached.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP
