CFP Exec Provides Update on Discussions for 16-, 24-Team CFB Playoff Formats

College Football Playoff leaders met Wednesday to discuss potential expansion, but there still isn't complete clarity about whether there will be a 16- or 24-team field in the future.

"We did have some discussion about 16 [teams], but I will say that the majority of the discussion was about 24," executive director Rich Clark said, per ESPN's Heather Dinich.

"I think 16 is—from some of the operational elements—we probably have more answers for 16 because it's a bit closer to 12 and what we're doing now, so that drove the discussion more to 24 because it is so different and there's so many other variables that we have to consider."

Those in charge have until Dec. 1 to change the format from the current 12-team field if a new bracket is going to be in place for the 2027 campaign.

Ultimately, it will come down to whether the Big Ten and SEC can agree since they are the two conferences with the majority of the power. The CFP remaining at 12 teams would still be in play if they can't come to terms on an agreement.

The Big Ten has favored 24 teams with the SEC favoring 16, although Dinich noted SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said last month he wasn't entirely opposed to 24 teams down the line.

If a 24-team field was instituted, that would likely mean the end of conference championship games. Whether additional revenue created by more playoff teams is enough to make up for the loss of revenue from no longer having conference title games figures to be part of the overall calculus, although Clark said that wasn't a focus Wednesday.

"I know everybody was thinking that we were going to come out of here with a bunch of revenue discussion points, and what format or what options produce the most revenue. We honestly didn't talk any numbers on what was going to be the most productive, even though that's important," he said, per Ralph D. Russo of The Athletic.

Russo noted the combined conference championship games are valued at approximately $250 million.

"We more talked about scheduling and what the different options would look like, and that's really important for us because there's a few questions that the commissioners had that we need to be able to answer for them," Clark said, per Dinich. "I think they gave us some clarity and some guidance to help us to really get to some of those answers."

Scheduling will also be an important part of it given how many games a 24-team CFP would require after teams have already completed a regular season.

Clark added that, "student wellness was top of list, so that we're not putting these games too close together," per Russo.

The next meeting is scheduled for September, although Dinich explained one could be added for August if needed.

"I'll be honest, every time we gave an answer, two or three more questions would pop out of that," Clark said. "That's how good decisions are made. So we walked away with a list of things that we have to figure out and work through and give them some options."

He also said there has been a "healthy conversation" between conferences with different approaches, but it is clear there still have to be more of those conversations before a solution is reached.