On Friday news broke that the College Football Playoff committee opted to remain at four teams for the remainder of the contract.
This will put added pressure on teams to remain perfect throughout the season due to the limited number of spots. For the Big 12, their lone participant in the annual playoff has been the Oklahoma Sooners. However, they have stumbled in the last two seasons leaving them outside of the tournament.
According to Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic, the committee needed a vote of 11-0 to make changes to the current format. There were options on the table to change to an eight-team or 12-team playoff. Their latest vote was 8-3 with all three members of the Alliance (ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12) voting against the expansion.
When asked if the move of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC affected the decision, Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson admitted it definitely changed the trajectory.
“It certainly was a factor. It changed the temperament of this particular situation. … Was it a breaking point or catalyst? I don’t know. It had an effect.” per Chris Vannini, The Athletic
The perception is that the decision to move to the SEC by the top two teams in the conference very much had a hand in these decisions. The three-conference alliance came together following that announcement during SEC media days back in July. It is difficult to spell it out otherwise.
For now, the four-team playoff will remain in play. Perhaps there will be a change when the next contract begins for the 2026 season. That all remains very much in the air.
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