College Football

What a 12-team field would have looked like

What a 12-team field would have looked like

The College Football Playoff board of managers voted Friday to expand the playoff field from four teams to 12. The committee, consisting of the 10 Football Bowl Subdivision commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick, proposed the 12-team format in June 2021. The proposal was put on the shelf after the shocking announcement that Oklahoma and Texas were leaving the Big 12 for the SEC.

Fifteen months later, the committee changed its mind.

The proposal gives the top six conference champions an automatic bid to the playoff, with the remaining six spots open for at-large selections. There are no limits on the number of teams that can make the CFP from one conference. The top four ranked conference champions, as determined by the CFP rankings, will be given a first-round bye. The first-round matchups will take place on campuses, with the quarterfinal and semifinal matchups taking place at bowl games. The national championship game will be played at a neutral site.

The 12-team CFP structure could begin as early as 2024 and no later than 2026, the year the current CFP broadcast deal with ESPN expires.

There have been eight editions of the CFP since its inception in 2014. Here is what a 12-team CFP would have looked like in each of the last eight seasons according to CBS Sports.

2021 12-team CFP

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Byes (Top-ranked conference champions)
1. Alabama
2. Michigan
3. Cincinnati
4. Baylor
Rest of field (x-conference champion)
5. Georgia
6. Notre Dame
7. Ohio State
8. Ole Miss
9. Oklahoma State
10. Michigan State
11. Utah (x)
12. Pittsburgh (x)

Matchups
No. 12 Pittsburgh at No. 5 Georgia winner vs. 4. Baylor
No. 11 Utah at No. 6 Notre Dame winner vs. 3. Cincinnati
No. 10 Michigan State at No. 7 Ohio State winner vs. 2. Michigan
No. 9 Oklahoma State at No. 8 Ole Miss winner vs. 1. Alabama

2021 CFP champion Georgia would have had a much more difficult path to winning their first national championship in over 40 years….

Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Football | Gators Wire…