CFP to Continue Four-Team Format for Four More Years

CFP Executive Director Bill Hancock made the announcement in a statement, stating that the committee will still be seeking expansion options for the 2026-27 season.

Author:
Joey Blackwell
Publish date:
Feb 18, 2022 11:44 AM EST

The College Football Playoff released a statement by Executive Director Bill Hancock on Friday morning, announcing that the CFP will maintain its four-team format for the next four years despite the current push for expansion to eight or 12 teams.

The decision was made by the CFP's Board of Managers on Thursday, but Hancock did not cite any specific reasons for the decision.

“The Board of Managers has accepted a recommendation from the Management Committee to continue the current four-team playoff for the next four years, as called for in the CFP’s original 12-year plan," Hancock's statement reads. "At the same time, the Board expects the Management Committee to continue its discussions of a new format that would go into effect for the 2026-27 season."

Since the CFP's inaugural season in 2014, 25 of 32 bids to the four-team playoff have been given to just six schools: Alabama (7), Clemson (6), Ohio State (4), Oklahoma (4), Georgia (2), Notre Dame (2). The result has caused for a push for expanding the playoff to include more teams, expanding the field from four teams to eight or possibly 12.

While the four-team format will be remaining in place through 2025-26, Hancock said that the board will still be pursuing options for expansion.

“Even though the outcome did not lead to a recommendation for an early expansion before the end of the current 12-year contract, the discussions have been helpful and informative," Hancock said. "I am sure they will serve as a useful guide for the Board of Managers and for the Management Committee as we determine what the Playoff will look like beginning in the 2026-2027 season.

“I thank the working group for its hard work that resulted in the 12-team proposal, and the Management Committee for its thorough and diligent job reviewing it and other possible expansion ideas. This has been a long, careful, and detailed process that involved many people considering a complex matter. I am grateful to everyone for their dedication to college football and the detailed and deliberative effort everyone put into the consideration of a different format. I know the four-team event will continue to be successful.”