By Michael Haag | Sports Editor
The College Football Playoff’s board of managers officially decided on a 12-team College Football Playoff format during Friday’s meeting, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported. The new model is expected to start in 2026 after the current contract ends, but an ESPN article stated the board of managers were “encouraging” conference commissioners to implement the ruling as soon as 2024.
Thamel said in a tweet, “There’s still a chance that it could go earlier, but those details are complicated and would take some time to work out.”
According to The Athletic, the decision was a unanimous vote. Sports Illustrated reported that it’s up to the commissioners to decide on an earlier implementation of the format, as well as more details.
According to Thamel, the main reason for the shift in format is money. He added, “Presidents felt as if they were leaving too much on the table,” in a subsequent tweet.
Per ESPN, the format will include the six highest-ranked conference champions and then six at-large teams. The article stated that next week, the 10 FBS commissioners along with Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick will meet in Dallas to figure out the details.
Further details on the matter can be found in Thamel’s tweet, here.
The CFP started in 2014 following the previous Bowl Championship Series model that only featured two teams per year. Under a 12-team format, Baylor football would have been included in the 2021 CFP, as they were ranked No. 7 going into the 2022 Sugar Bowl contest.
This is a developing story with more to come. Stay up to date with the Baylor Lariat @BULariatSports on Twitter.
