New Pac-12, Group of Six will have harder road to College Football Playoff in 2026

Boise State’s path to the College Football Playoff just got a little bit tougher to navigate.

According to multiple reports, the CFP will remain a 12-team field in 2026 with automatic bids guaranteed to the winners of the Big Ten, SEC, ACC and Big 12, and the highest-rated Group of Six — now including the new Pac-12 — conference champion. Notre Dame will also be guaranteed a playoff spot with a top-12 finish in the final CFP rankings.

Under the previous system, the five highest-ranked conference champions received automatic bids to the playoffs.

The changes come after five-loss Duke upset Virginia in last year’s ACC championship game, creating a spot for an extra Group of Five champion. Tulane (American) earned the No. 11 seed while James Madison (Sun Belt) got the No. 12 seed. Both teams were routed in the opening round by Ole Miss and Oregon, respectively.

In the new system, Duke and Notre Dame would’ve received CFP berths, replacing Miami and James Madison. Miami made it all the way to the national championship game, falling 27-21 to Indiana.

The CFP expanded from four to 12 teams for the 2024 season, guaranteeing byes to the top four conference champions. Boise State earned the No. 3 overall seed and lost to Penn State in a Fiesta Bowl quarterfinal, 31-14.

The CFP moved to straight seeding for the 2025 season, removing guaranteed byes for conference champions.

According to multiple reports, the SEC wants to expand the CFP to 16 teams while the Big Ten prefers a 24-team model. With the two sides unable to agree on 16 vs. 24, the CFP field will instead remain at 12 teams for the 2026 season.

Next year’s field is likely to include more two- and three-loss teams as the ACC and SEC are adding a ninth conference game, matching the Big Ten and Big 12.

The reborn Pac-12 will be an eight-team football conference in 2026 with current members Oregon State and Washington State, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State of the Mountain West and Texas State of the Sun Belt. The ninth member— West Coast Conference power Gonzaga—does not compete in football.

The Pac-12 has not released its 2026 football schedule. The Pac-12 is expected to play eight conference games next year with one repeat matchup during the season.

Boise State won three consecutive conference championships to end its time in the Mountain West.