By RALPH D. RUSSO, AP college football writer
ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) — The conference commissioners who administer the college football playoffs met for nearly seven hours Tuesday to work on expanding the postseason system from four to 12 teams as early as the 2024 season.
Its a lot to do.
“We’re not going to close this week,” CFP Executive Director Bill Hancock said.
The CFP Administrative Committee, made up of 10 conference commissioners and Notre Dame’s athletic director, is scheduled to meet again at the Big Ten’s offices for a few hours Wednesday morning. They will meet again in person on October 20th in Dallas.
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“This is going to be important,” Hancock said.
Expansion talks were revived by the university presidents and chancellors overseeing the college football playoffs last month.
By adopting a 12-team plan that has been on the table since spring 2021, the presidents urged commissioners to try to introduce a new format before the end of the CFP’s current deal with ESPN. This deal will end after the 2025 season.
Expanding from four to 12 in 2024 and 2025 will require rescheduling of semifinals and championship games that already have dates and locations set, as well as the addition of four new first-round games in mid-December to be played on campus grounds.
It’s going to be a challenge to squeeze everything into about a month and work for television in the NFL.
Hancock said the idea of moving the start of the college football season to the week before Labor Day to make more room for the playoffs at the end had been discussed, but more for beyond the 2025 season.
“I think most people see that as a future issue. As a long-term object and not an immediate object,” Hancock said. “Remember, there are so many details.”
Hancock said CFP officials have spoken to bowl partners and host cities scheduled to host semifinals and championship games after the 2024 and 25 seasons, but have not been presented with any definitive new data.
Atlanta has already been selected as the host city for the championship game to be played after the 2024 season on January 6, 2025. The game would have to be delayed by about two weeks if the playoffs grow from four teams to 12.
“(Atlanta organizers) have a lot to do because of other businesses in the community,” Hancock said. “Other meeting business, hotel business and convention center business there. It was great working with them.”
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