Bill Hancock says there are 'no guarantees' for playoff in 2026 and beyond

The College Football Playoff recently made news by announcing that it will expand to 12 teams for the 2024-25 season. This was a long time coming and the Playoff had to figure out a number of issues before expanding, like what to do with the Rose Bowl.

Now, there are still questions about how things are going to work moving forward. That includes just how long the College Football Playoff will stay at 12 teams. As Bill Hancock explained, there is no guarantee that the CFP will stay at 12 teams for 2026 and beyond.

“Nothing is locked in,” Bill Hancock said. “We will address all the bowls on the same basis when the time comes.”

Hancock said there are no guarantees for 2026 and beyond. "Nothing is locked in. We will address all the bowls on the same basis when the time comes." He said it's in everyone's best interest for the Rose Bowl to have it's traditional day and time.

— Heather Dinich (@CFBHeather) December 1, 2022

Bill Hancock also pointed out that it’s in everyone’s best interest for the Rose Bowl to continue to play its traditional game and start time. That tradition matters.

The current College Football Playoff contract will expire after the 2025 season. So, everything about the College Football Playoff is up in the air once the contract ends, including how many teams are involved.

Bill Hancock is the executive director of the College Football Playoff. Previously, he had been the executive director of the BCS and was the full-time director of the Final Four.

Bill Hancock on expanding the CFP to 16 teams

It’s only natural for there to be immediate questions about expanding the CFP again now that it expanded to 12 teams. However, given how long it took to expand to 12 and the timing of when the current contract expires, it’s difficult to say when that would be possible.

For his part, Bill Hancock doesn’t seem to want to talk about expanding again.

“Next question! I’m kidding. 12 team is solid,” Bill Hancock joked. “Solid.”