NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – JULY 17: SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey speaks during Day One of 2023 SEC Media Days at Grand Hyatt Nashville on July 17, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
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The future of the college football postseason was expected to be finalized by next week, but the deadline will be extended, Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reported on Nov. 24. The College Football Playoff and ESPN previously set a Dec. 1 deadline to make a decision on the 2026-27 format, but commissioners have more time to come to a decision.
Dellenger reported the deadline will be extended through at least January, but ESPN agreed to extend the deadline to Jan. 23, according to CBS Sports’ Brandon Marcello a few hours later.
The College Football Playoff is in its third year since expanding to 12 teams from four prior to the 2024 season. As of the 2025-26 CFP, the five highest-ranked conference champions will receive automatic bids with seven at-large selections. The four highest-ranked teams receiving a top-four seed and first-round bye, regardless of conference champion status.
The current expectation is for the College Football Playoff format to remain unchanged heading into the 2026-27 season as the decision makers work to come to a conclusion on the future of the postseason.
College Football Playoff Formats
Under the current agreement, the SEC and Big Ten control future College Football Playoff format decisions. They must agree before proposals move forward in the voting process.
The most popular format is a 16-team field, which would give automatic bids to the five highest-ranked conference champions with 11 at-large spots. However, the Big Ten is standing in the way of this proposal moving forward, Dellenger reported on Oct. 24.
Last week, the Big Ten presented a 24-team College Football Playoff format to the other power conference commissioners. This would include four automatic bids for each of the four power conferences, two spots to the highest-ranked non-power conferences and six at-large selections.
However, the biggest opposition to a 24-team field is the SEC, which argues that a high-number of playoff teams would decrease the value of the regular season and conference championship games.
The two most powerful conferences remain at a standstill, and nothing will be done to the College Football Playoff format until the Big Ten and SEC can come to an agreement or compromise.
College Football Playoff Rankings
This news comes less than two weeks before Selection Sunday for the 2025-26 College Football Playoff. The top programs in the country have limited time to make their case for a College Football Playoff spot heading into the last week of the regular season, which is followed by conference championship weekend.
Below is the most recent College Football Playoff rankings update, which was released on Nov. 18.
- Ohio State Buckeyes
- Indiana Hoosiers
- Texas A&M Aggies
- Georgia Bulldogs
- Texas Tech Red Raiders
- Ole Miss Rebels
- Oregon Ducks
- Oklahoma Sooners
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- BYU Cougars
- Utah Utes
The final three College Football Playoff rankings release dates are coming on Nov. 25, Dec. 2 and Dec. 7.