The College Football Playoff will remain a 12-team field for a third straight season in 2026.
“After ongoing discussion about the 12-team playoff format, the decision was made to continue with the current structure,” CFP executive director Rich Clark said in a statement Friday, which was the deadline for the CFP management committee to tell ESPN of changes to next season’s format.
“This will give the Management Committee additional time to review the 12-team format, so they can better assess the need for potential change. While they all agree the current format has brought more excitement to college football and has given more schools a real shot in the postseason, another year of evaluation will be helpful.”
Efforts to expand the field stalled due to an ongoing stalemate between the Southeastern Conference and Big Ten, ESPN reported Friday.
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey reportedly wanted a 16-team CFP field while Big Ten counterpart Tony Petitti would only have supported that if the SEC committed to a 24-team model after three years, something Sankey was not ready to do.
Although the field is not expanding in 2026, there will be some changes to the way schools are selected.
The Power 4 conference champions (Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC) will be guaranteed spots in the 12-team bracket, along with the highest-ranked conference champ from the Group of 6 (American Conference, Conference USA, Mid-American Conference, Mountain West, Sun Belt and the Pac-12). Independent Notre Dame also will be included if it finishes in the selection committee’s top 12.
ACC champion Duke and Notre Dame would both have qualified for CFP spots this season if those rules had been in place, while Miami — which lost to No. 1 Indiana in Monday’s title game — would have been excluded.
–Field Level Media
