CFP Bracket Reportedly Expected to Remain 12-Team Format for 2026 Season amid Rumors

Signs are pointing toward the College Football Playoff bracket remaining at 12 teams for the 2026 season, per Nicole Auerbach of NBC Sports.

Although the CFP expanded from four to 12 teams in 2024, rumors of further expansion have persisted. Of note, the Big Ten has considered a proposal increasing the tournament to 24 or 28 teams, per ESPN's Pete Thamel on Aug. 16.

Thamel also reported in May, when Power 4 commissioners met in New York, that a 16-team format was "becoming more preferred."

It's certainly possible that the CFP expands down the road, but that may not happen in 2026 based on the latest remarks from Auerbach.

However, the main problem seems to be alignment on an actual format that works for the college football powerhouses (in other words, the SEC and Big Ten).

Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports explained more behind the scenes when reporting live from Atlanta at SEC Media Days last July.

"Here's the gist: The CFP's original 12-year contract with ESPN ends after this season, and a new six-year extension struck with the network last spring begins in 2026 with, what was believed to be, a new, potentially expanded playoff. An important note to this is that the SEC and Big Ten hold authority over a future format and must agree on a model before it moves forward, according to CFP director Rich Clark — the result of a memorandum signed by the 10 FBS conferences and Notre Dame last year.

"Here's the problem: The SEC and Big Ten, thought at first to be aligned behind a format with multi-automatic qualifiers for a single conference, is not aligned after all. And it's unclear if they will get aligned before Dec. 1 — the date ESPN executives gave to CFP leaders as a deadline for any decisions for the 2026 playoff."

While doubt has been cast on expansion for 2026, the door is still open for something to be done. It could also happen in 2027. Chris Vannini of The Athletic added more insight.

As it stands now, CFP executive director Rich Clark did say commissioners seem fine with 12 teams in 2026 (h/t Dellenger).

We'll see how things progress soon enough. For now, though, there isn't any present movement on CFP expansion for 2026.