ACC, Big 12 join calls to expand CFP, but some opposition still exists

The College Football Playoff has taken another step toward expansion to 24 teams. The ACC and Big 12 both publicly joined the calls to double the size of the current playoff field.

“We like 24, we want 24,” Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark told On3. “There are too many teams getting left out and 24 teams provides the type of access that is warranted. That being said, we need to do the work around the economics around a 24-team format and make sure we address any unintended consequences.”

ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips added to that at his conference’s spring meetings, saying, “The desire from the coaches and ADs is to go to 24.” That is notably the consensus in that room.

For the last two seasons, the CFP has been played with a 12-team field while the powers that be in college football have debated how to expand the field. Generally, the debate has been between 16 teams and 24 teams. Initially, the Big Ten stood relatively alone on the 24-team field, but there has been a recent shift in sentiment around the sport.

There has been some criticism from fans about the 24-team expansion. That includes concerns about how it will affect the regular season, making games less important for big brands that would effectively get three or four losses in a 12-game schedule before being worried they may miss the postseason. It would also render conference championship games unimportant and water down the quality of teams in the CFP. 

There are a couple of key reasons for the change in position for many leaders around college football. The first being that the coaches and ADs are finding they’re judged heavily on whether or not they make the CFP. So, a larger field makes it much easier to make it and, hopefully, avoid criticism. 

On top of that, many executives are seeing dollar bills. Playoff games generally do well with viewers, and the hope is to continue to make money in an era where teams now need to find a way to pay for their rosters. 

Phillips would also cite 2023 Florida State and 2025 Notre Dame missing the CFP field as a cause for expansion. Of note, 2023 Florida State was left out of a four-team field, not a 12-team field.