College Football Playoff to expand to include 12 teams no later than 2026

(CNN) — The College Football Board of Managers has unanimously approved expanding the current four-team playoff format to include 12 schools, the board announced Friday. The new format is set to begin in 2026 but the board has tasked the College Football Management Committee to try to implement the expansion earlier, following the 2024 or 2025 season. "More teams, more participation and more excitement are good for our fans, alumni, and student-athletes," Mark Keenum, the President of Mississippi State and the chairman of the College Football Playoff Board of Managers. "I’m grateful to my colleagues on the board for their thoughtful approach to this issue and for their resolve to get expansion across the goal line and for the extensive work of the Management Committee that made this decision possible." The four-team playoff format began during the 2014 college football season. Keenum continued, "I’m very pleased we were able to get this accomplished and I look forward to expansion taking place. The four-team playoff has been highly popular and successful. I believe this new format will be even more popular and successful." The-CNN-Wire ™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.