College football could expand playoff again in two years: insiders

Almost as soon as the College Football Playoff expanded from four teams to 12 in a field that will debut this postseason, there is already a very credible belief that the format could expand again in the near future, with talks that the playoff could swell to 14 teams.

That's according to the conversations had at the College Football Playoff meetings held in recent days, as debate continues to rage about what the future of the postseason will look like starting in 2026.

CFP executive director Bill Hancock and Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti both acknowledged that a possible 14-team model was discussed for 2026 and beyond, according to media outlets.

Those talks are taking place amid some pressure for the College Football Playoff to finalize its field as it negotiates a new media contract with ESPN, which insiders revealed may consider pulling its reported 6-year, $7.8 billion offer if the CFP doesn't decide on a format after 2025 soon.

Reps from the SEC and Big Ten have notified the CFP that they hope the next contract will be more financially lucrative than the existing deal, which includes an even split among the Power Five.

But after the implosion of the Pac-12 created a Power Four, those two conferences have considerably more influence in college football's national landscape, even more so after their respective expansion projects.

Petitti has called for more automatic qualifiers to the playoff and says that doing so would increase the value of the regular season. Automatic qualifiers were discussed during the CFP's recent meeting, but no conclusions were drawn either way.

When the CFP expanded the playoff the first time, it was understood to be for only the next two postseasons, until its contract with ESPN expires after the 2025 season.

That leaves several major questions as to what the playoff would look like after that, questions that the CFP brass is looking for answers to right now.

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