College Football Playoff to Expand from 4 to 12 by 2026

You’ve been asking for it. You got it.

The Board of the College Football Playoff voted to expand the playoffs from 4 teams to 12 teams by 2026.

According the a source close to the AP, the board would like the changes to be in effect by 2024.

Here’s a breakdown of how the 12-team playoff would work:

“The four highest-ranked conference champions will be seeded one through four with each receiving a first-round bye. Teams seeded five through 12 will play each other in the first round on either the second or third weekend of December. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be played in bowl games on a rotating basis, and the championship game will be at a neutral site, as under the current four-team format.” (ESPN)

“The CFP said the 12-team format will incorporate the top six conference champions from the 10 active conferences and six wild card teams. The top four conference champions would get byes while the other eight teams would play first-round games at the home stadiums of the higher-seeded teams. Neutral sites would then host the final seven games of the tournament, denying the top four seeds the opportunity to play a postseason game at home.

The scenario above would also mean that defending national champion Georgia wouldn’t have gotten a first-round bye if the 12-team format was in place in 2021. Since the Bulldogs lost to Alabama in the SEC title game, Georgia would have entered the playoff as the No. 5 seed and hosted a first-round game.” (Yahoo)

Why is this relevant on an NC State website on the morning of start of the 2022 football season?

Well…we are preseason ranked 13th…one spot away from 12th.

This program is building in the right direction.