College Football Playoff could expand

College Football Playoff officials could consider expanding the format in a series of meetings over the next several weeks, with some favoring a 12team model according to several reports.

The management committee, which is comprised of the 10 conference commissioners and Notre Dame athletics director Jack Swarbrick, is expected to hear back from a working group during a series of meetings June 1718 in Chicago on the subject of expansion.

Any recommendation favored by the management committee then would be forwarded to the Playoff ’s Board of Managers, which is comprised of 11 school presidents and chancellors from the 10 FBS conferences and Notre Dame, in a meeting on June 22, according to ESPN’s Heather Dinich.

The Board would make the final decision on any possible changes to the playoff model.

It was after a series of virtual meetings in April that the Playoff group revealed that a working group had been considering 63 possibilities for change including six, eight, 10, 12 and 16team options with a variety of scenarios for each.

Playoff executive director Bill Hancock warned against reading too much into the group’s findings.

“For the last couple of years, when I’ve been asked about it, I’m very careful to say that my bosses are talking about the future,” Hancock told the Orlando Sentinel at the time. “This really was an extension of that except for the first time, we were able to give some color into what they were talking about.

“It’s just analyzing and thinking about the future. That’s all it is.”

Eleven teams have qualified for the 28 available semifinal spots — with Alabama (six), Clemson (six), Ohio State (four), Oklahoma (four) and Notre Dame (two) making multiple appearances. It’s the concern over a lack of variety among the playoff participants that has caused the biggest pushback.