The College Football Playoff Management Committee will continue using the 12-team playoff format for the 2026–27 season, extending the current structure for at least one more year as officials evaluate potential long-term changes.
The management committee, which includes the 10 Football Bowl Subdivision conference commissioners and the University of Notre Dame’s athletic director, said the decision allows additional time to assess how the expanded playoff is working and whether adjustments are needed.
Under the committee’s 2024 operating agreement, the 2026–27 playoff will include 12 teams selected based on conference championships and final rankings by the CFP Selection Committee.
First-round games will again be played at campus sites. Quarterfinals and semifinals will be hosted by College Football Playoff bowl games, leading to the national championship game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Jan. 25.
The Rose Bowl Game will once again be a quarterfinal game. This year the storied game garnered an impressive viewership of 23.9 million viewers.
The only game seen by more viewers was the Championship Game seen by more than 30 million people.
The expanded playoff format was introduced to increase access to the postseason and provide more programs a path to compete for a national title. CFP officials said another season under the current structure will help determine whether future expansion or restructuring is necessary.
The decision ends, for now, months of discussion among conference leaders about altering the format beginning in 2026.
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