How 2024-25 CFP Would've Looked Under Proposed Expansion Formats

The College Football Playoff will almost certainly expand again in 2026, going from a 12-team format to a 14- or 16-team format. While we don’t know which of these it'll be, it’s always fun to think about what things could look like.

In the most recent episode of "The Joel Klatt Show: Big Noon Conversations," Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti broke down how discussions over the CFP expansion are going, as he holds a key role. He also shared that he’s seeking more meaningful games in the CFP expansion and believes that a 16-team format could help accomplish that. 

"Bigger is better," Petitti said. "I think 12 is not enough teams given the size of the teams that are competing. You look at professional leagues, they [have] somewhere between 40% and 50% of their teams qualifying for the postseason. We're way below that, even at 16. I think we want to be really careful."

As Petitti potentially seeks a 16-team CFP, the determination of which 16 (or 14) teams would qualify is still up for debate. Automatic qualifiers would likely be involved in some form or fashion. 

So, let’s see how the proposed formats for the CFP expansion could have impacted last year’s field, with the consideration that the CFP has already gone to a straight seeding model after last year.

In this format of the 16-team model, the Big Ten and the SEC would’ve received four automatic bids to the CFP, while the ACC and Big 12 each would’ve received two. There also would’ve been an automatic spot for the highest-ranked Group of 5 conference champion and three at-large bids. With the idea of a conference championship weekend being thrown out there as an extension to the CFP expansion, we used the standings for the four major conferences to help determine which