CFP meetings wrap with all formats still on table

Leaders of the College Football Playoff are inactive "mulling over" what the format should look similar successful 2026 and beyond, CFP enforcement manager Rich Clark said connected Wednesday pursuing the decision of 2 days of meetings successful Asheville, North Carolina

"Pretty overmuch everything's connected the array and they're taking a bully look astatine it each of it," Clark said. "So I wouldn't accidental there's a starring contender close present for them, but they're taking a caller look astatine it."

Last month, astatine the SEC's outpouring meetings successful Destin, Florida, determination was caller enactment from the caput shot coaches for a 16-team exemplary that would see the 5 highest-ranked league champions and 11 at-large teams. That rapidly gained traction and nationalist enactment from different leagues, but it besides amazed galore leaders successful the Big Ten conference.

Many diversion directors successful some leagues had been aligned successful their tendency to person automatic qualifiers that would warrant some conferences 4 spots each successful the playoff, with play-in games to find whom the 3rd and 4th playoff participants would be. Following the SEC's outpouring meetings, galore sources successful the Big Ten person indicated that they wouldn't adjacent see a 5+11 exemplary unless the SEC and ACC some spell to 9 league games.

The Big Ten and the SEC person the bulk of power of the adjacent iteration of the playoff, but the 2 conferences haven't been connected the aforesaid leafage precocious successful presumption of what that should look like.

"They're obligated to travel to an statement connected what the format is," Clark said.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has said repeatedly that helium wanted much clarity connected the enactment process earlier determining if the league should determination to a nine-game schedule, and overmuch of this week's meetings were spent studying metrics, including spot of schedule. Clark said the CFP brought successful a mathematician from Google to assistance the group, which included each 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame diversion manager Pete Bevacqua.

"I would accidental a batch of it is refreshing our metrics," Clark said. "Some of these metrics were enactment into spot with a full antithetic look astatine the mode assemblage shot was laid retired and the conferences were structured. ... I wouldn't accidental it's dramatic, but it's a refresh. We looked astatine immoderate of our processes and however we bash things wrong the enactment committee gathering room. Some of the things we brought up to the array for them to consider, but conscionable things to assistance america get better."

Clark reiterated thing Sankey said astatine his outpouring meetings and aggregate different sources person surmised -- the existent 12-team exemplary remains an enactment for 2026 and beyond. Whatever they decide, Clark said, they'd similar to bash it by the fall, and they're not looking to postpone the determination by keeping the presumption quo for different season.

"I don't deliberation they're going to footwear the tin a 2nd year," Clark said. "They're going to marque a determination connected what they deliberation that full play should look like."

The CFP did determine this week to incorporated sports wagering monitoring and volition person its unit find the details of it. The playoff volition besides usage subordinate availability reports, which would beryllium done successful a akin mode to what immoderate conferences already do, Clark said.

"We're going to instrumentality that exemplary on," helium said. "We person immoderate enactment to bash connected that, though, to cleanable it and to guarantee that we're doing it the close way, but that volition beryllium an important presumption for the CFP."

Clark said determination has been progress, but the radical inactive has "lots of abstraction to inactive marque immoderate decisions."

"I don't cognize if there's immoderate hurdles they person to get over, I deliberation they conscionable privation to marque definite they get it right," Clark said. "That's going to beryllium six years of format that they're deciding, and rushing to a atrocious determination is not successful immoderate of our champion interests. They privation to marque definite they look astatine each the options and recognize what the pros and cons are and marque the champion determination they tin alternatively than trying to unreserved to thing that whitethorn not suit america for the adjacent signifier of the CFP."