RJ Young's 24-Team College Football Playoff Bracket Entering Week 12

In the 12-team College Football Playoff, only 33 teams have a path to the postseason.

Move that to a 24-team model, and suddenly 42 programs are alive. The dream stays alive longer — chaos thrives deeper into November.

Every weekend from here on out is a knockout round, as the committee cuts pretenders from contenders. But in a 24-team CFP, a hot finish could erase a slow start. Win late, and you’re in.

Believe it or not, in that expanded world, Arizona, Wake Forest, and even Hawaii could still crash the bracket alongside Ohio State and Texas A&M.

In August, the Big Ten and others began "populating" the idea of an expanded College Football Playoff of 24 or 28 teams. The 24-team model, which seems to have the most support in private circles, would include: 

Which begs the question: How would the 24-team CFP look if the tournament began today?

In my analysis of a 24-team format, 32 Power 4 programs — including nine from the SEC, eight from the Big 12, eight from the ACC, seven from the Big Ten — would still have a path to the postseason. And that’s before factoring in Notre Dame or the Group of 6 contenders.

Heading into Week 12 of the season, teams that have proven themselves in conference play still have just as much opportunity to win it all as No. 1 Ohio State. That’s a huge win for the sport. It creates a more democratic system for determining the best team, with less debate and more certainty.

The scoreboard has more agency. 

And fans have the best chance in the sport’s history to see their team play for — and win — a national title.

Here's how it works:

This 24-team format features 18 automatic qualifiers

I’ve set it up to look like what you’ll read below and stand in to represent the College Football Playoff