Momentum building toward expediting College Football Playoff expansion before 2026

Momentum is building towards expediting the expansion of the College Football Playoff before the 2026 season, according to Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated.

In an article detailing everything about the future of the Playoff, Dellenger revealed that commissioners are meeting with College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock regarding the possibility of expanding from four teams to twelve sooner rather than later.

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“The 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick met for about 10 hours over two days here,” revealed Dellenger. “Hancock says the group ‘made progress’ toward the end goal—expanding the College Football Playoff by 2024—but no specifics, answers or details were provided.

“No final decisions were made (or at least they weren’t made public).”

Additionally, Hancock told Dellenger that while the group is happy with the expansion coming in 2026, why not try to get it done and implemented as soon as possible?

“Earlier is icing on the cake. We’re going to have our cake in 2026,” Hancock told Dellenger. “Can we ice it now and start earlier? That’s what we’re working on now.”

According to Dellenger, the next meeting of the minds will come on Oct. 20 in Dallas, which he stated, “some believe is a deadline of sorts to determine whether expansion can happen before the current TV contract expires after the 2025 season.”

Still, optimism has reached a new level of high, as the commissioners are all working towards the same goal in harmony. Heck, Dellenger even noted they all went out to dinner on Tuesday night in Chicago, showing better synergy than ever before.

“There a million details, but I’m really encouraged by our ability to work through them. Lot of work to do,” Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick told Dellenger. “Thus far, [there’s] nothing that causes you to say, ‘This is impossible.’”

Nevertheless, the expanded College Football Playoff will begin in 2026 regardless, but the possibility of getting to it even earlier has to have college football fans, higher ups and players alike salivating to get the job done.