The College Football Playoff made a big expansion from just four teams to 12 this season, and it seems inevitable that the field will grow again in the future.
While speaking at Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum on Tuesday, College Football Playoff executive director Rich Clark confirmed that there will be discussions about adding more teams to the CFP beginning in 2026. Clark said a 14-team field is already in consideration.
“Commissioners are gonna look at it, right? They’re gonna step back. We’re gonna give them some options and some other things that they can do. But in the end, they’re gonna look at whether 14 is a better number,” Clark said. “I’m sure they’ll look at it. That doesn’t mean that that’s the foregone conclusion, but after they see the results of this season and this playoff, they’re gonna say, ‘How can we make it even better?'”
The #CFBPlayoff committee will analyze this season's results and evaluate if 14 teams is the right number for future playoffs
They’ll consider all options to improve the experience for both the playoff and the regular season. #CFP #CollegeFootball #Playoff #SBJIAF pic.twitter.com/zlAQ0mPMLP
— Sports Business Journal (@SBJ) December 10, 2024
The revelation from Clark was hardly a shocking one. There is one driving force behind College Football Playoff expansion, and that, of course, is money. More games would mean higher ratings and more profitable media rights deals. Very few people believe that CFP expansion will stop at 12 teams. It is more a matter of when, not if, more teams will be added.
Many fans are excited to have additional playoff games this year, but there could be serious consequences for the regular season if the CFP continues to expand.
