Report: 14-Team Playoff Discussed by CFP Management Committee; 'Nothing Is Imminent'

There hasn't been a single game played in the new 12-team College Football Playoff format, but there are reportedly already discussions of expanding the postseason to even more schools.

According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, the CFP management committee discussed a 14-team playoff during meetings Wednesday. Thamel noted "nothing is imminent" because the earliest such a format could be put in place is the 2026 season.

This comes just one day after the CFP board of managers announced the official 12-team format for the next two seasons.

The 5+7 format will give automatic berths to the five highest-ranked conference champions with the other seven spots going to the highest-ranked remaining teams. The four highest-ranked conference champions will receive a first-round bye, while teams ranked from Nos. 5-12 will face one another, with the better seed hosting the games.

From there, the quarterfinals and semifinals will be played in the New Year's Six bowl games, while the national championship game will be played at a neutral site.

Implementing this format represents a change from the 6+6 layout that was initially put in place to give the six highest-ranked conference champions spots in the playoff. Such changes were needed after the Pac-12 was reduced to two teams.

Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington are going to the Big Ten, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah are going to the Big 12, and California and Stanford are going to the ACC. Elsewhere, Texas and Oklahoma are joining the SEC.

In theory, expanding the playoff field to 14 teams will likely give even more spots to the SEC and Big Ten. After all, many of the sport's powerhouses reside in those two conferences after an offseason of significant realignment.

For now, though, the champions of the SEC, Big Ten, ACC and Big 12 will likely be four of the five teams receiving automatic bids given the current format.

But there could be expansion in the near future with the new changes just two years after the four-team format was in place for 10 years.