3 best ideas for College Football Playoff expansion

12-team playoff

While an 8-team playoff wouldn’t necessarily cause a huge shift in the college football schedule, and a 12-team playoff wouldn’t have to either.

Under this formula, all five major conference champions would be guaranteed a berth, plus the top team from the Group of Five. That would also leave the door open for six at-large berths which would make the final month of the season must-see TV.

And truly, if the season just started a week earlier, not much would have to change. After championship weekend, the top four teams would receive a bye. That still rewards you for an elite season, while allowing for more inclusion.

You could also add the twist of playing the first two rounds on campus. The TV money is going to be huge wherever you play the games and that could make it easier for schools since at least half wouldn’t have to travel the first two rounds.

It would give you six automatic bids and six at-large selections. You could play the first round the same weekend as conference championships are held now, if you started the regular season earlier and then played the quarterfinals at the same time Dec. 20-21.

Of course, those quarterfinal games could be bowl games too, which would help preserve that system even more. And they could be selected in part based on region.

It would also add two games at the most to the current playoff schedule and that’s assuming a first-round team gets all the way to the national championship.