DALLAS, Tex. — Get ready college football fans, the much-maligned College Football Playoff may be growing from four teams to 12 teams, just not any time soon.
"The four-team format has been very popular and is a big success," the members of the four-person working group said in a statement. "But it's important that we consider the opportunity for more teams and more student-athletes to participate in the playoff. After reviewing numerous options, we believe this proposal is the best option to increase participation, enhance the regular season and grow the national excitement of college football."
For University of Central Florida fans, the news comes years too late after the team missed out on the CFP in recent years. But if adopted, an upstart team like UCF might be able to squeeze into the CFP for a chance to take down some of the biggest names in college football.
According to the CFP, the four highest-ranked conference champions would be seeded one through four and each would receive a first-round bye, while teams seeded five through 12 would play each other in the first round on the home field of the higher-ranked team. The quarterfinals and semifinals would be played in bowl games and the championship game would be at a neutral site as it is currently.
While the recommendation is big news for college football fans, it's only the first step and the process will not conclude by the start of the fall season. The next step would be for the 11-member management committee to review the recommendation at its upcoming meeting in Chicago on June 17 and 18.
If the management committee approves, it will then forward a recommendation to the CFP board of managers who would then meet June 22 in Dallas. That body would then review the recommendation and decide on whether to "authorize feasibility assessments and potentially discussions with other entities that would allow for implementation of any altered format."
Needless to say, it's still a ways off, but for college football fans who have been begging for a large playoff system for decades; hope may be on the horizon.
