The College Football Playoff Council approves a move to a 5+7 model to begin a 12-team format

The College Football Playoff Board of Governors voted unanimously Tuesday to revise the event's 12-team format to include the five top-ranked conference champions and seven at-large bids, finalizing a modification from the original “6+6” model.

The board, made up of 11 chancellors and presidents from each FBS conference plus Notre Dame, met virtually on Tuesday to finalize an amendment introduced to account for the breakup of the Pac-12 in the latest round of conference realignment. Washington State President Kirk Schultz, the Pac-12's representative on the board, was the lone naysayer of the change during the recent board meeting.

Schulz's proposal, which called for the Pac-12's two remaining members to have the same revenue and voting powers as their peers in the power conferences starting in 2026, did not receive much support, two sources familiar with the conference call said. For now, Washington State and Oregon State have retained their seats on the CFP's boards and will receive Power 5 payments this year and next.

Both sources said they expect Wednesday's meeting of the commissioners who make up the CFP's governing committee to be very contentious, with Big Ten and SEC leaders expected to outline what they want in the new CFP contract that begins in 2026. One said they expect the Big Ten and SEC to push from He postponed larger revenue shares than those given to the Big 12 and ACC, creating further separation between the two groups. The other source said they believe one or both leagues might require multiple automatic qualifiers per year — even as many as three or four in a single conference.

The original 6+6 model, which was first introduced nearly three years ago along with the initial proposal to expand to 12 teams, gave the six top-ranked conference champions automatic playoff bids. The next six highest-ranked teams receive the remaining at-large bids.

“This is a very logical adjustment to the College Football Playoff based on the evolution of our conference structures since the Board first adopted this new format in September 2022,” Mississippi State President and CFP Board of Directors Chairman Mark Keenum said in a statement. “I know this change will also be well received by our student-athletes, coaches and fans. We will all be happy to see this new look come to life on the field in the postseason.”

In a 12-team format starting in the 2024 season, the top four conference champions receive a bye in the first round, with the No. 5 seed playing No. 12, the No. 6 playing No. 11, and the No. 7 playing No. 10. The No. 8 will play No. 9. 5-8 first-round games at its schools, and the New Year's Six bowls (Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, and Fiesta Bowl). The quarter-finals and semi-finals will be hosted alternately.

None of the conference champions automatically qualify for this field, and there is no limit to the number of at-large bids a conference can win. In November, the commissioners decided that Oregon State and Washington State, which will continue to play football under the Pac-12 banner and have reached a scheduling agreement with the Mountain West to help fill out their rosters for the next two years, would not be eligible for the five automatic qualifying spots for conference champions.

The conference commissioners (and Notre Dame leadership) who make up the CFP management committee will meet in person in Dallas on Wednesday in their ongoing struggle to agree on several key structural details for 2026 and beyond, when the CFP's initial 12-year rights agreement with ESPN expires. ESPN has agreed to terms with College Football Playoff representatives on a six-year, $7.8 billion extension to televise the event through 2031-32, but CFP leaders still need to vote on the deal for it to take effect.

(Photo: Kirby Lee/USA Today)