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Looks like the 12-team College Football Playoff format soon will become extinct. Talks of a 24-team College Football Postseason increased Thursday. And that does rope in ESPN amid the expansion proposal.
But the CFP committee released this statement regarding the latter matter.
“Constructive discussions with ESPN continued this week. We have enjoyed a strong partnership with ESPN since our inception and are appreciative of the productive dialogue we have had throughout the negotiating period and continuing over the last several days. We will provide additional updates on the matters of future format and media rights when appropriate,” the statement reads.
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What this officially means for postseason format
So expansion is moving forward, but not officially complete.
Still, signs point to next season’s postseason inflating from a dozen teams to double that. This new format now appears to address and dilute snubbed teams moving forward.
Last season’s postseason drew an uproar with Notre Dame getting left off for an Alabama team that shared an identical 10-2 mark. Oklahoma out of the SEC also snuck in past ND with its own 10-2 mark. The Fighting Irish opted to end their season and not participate in any December bowl games by result of the snub.
Texas rose as another that made its own case for entry into the CFP despite losing three regular season games. But the Longhorns took down three top 10 programs in Oklahoma, Vanderbilt and Texas A&M to state their case for getting in.
Meanwhile, Indiana took advantage of being the top seed by going 16-0 and claiming its first-ever national crown. IU looks prime to return amid its current undefeated mark.
Yet this new format leaves many fans to believe the expanded field only benefits the SEC and Big Ten. The former would have as many as nine teams eligible for the 24-team field, per On3. This expansion still puts Group of Five teams in a dilemma with getting an automatic berth.
Related: What a 24-team College Football Playoff would look like this season
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