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2026 College Football Playoffs Discussion

Didn’t watch the games yesterday but looking at the scores I think we have enough data points on rest vs rust.

Next year should be 16 and get rid of the byes. Indiana just has an underdog mindset that keeps them focused. Only top-4 seed to make it out of 8 so far.

What will the College Football Playoff look like in 2026? The primary options as deadline nears

Updated Jan. 2, 2026

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With an extra six weeks to talk about it, the administrators who oversee the College Football Playoff are making one last push to expand the postseason format in time for the 2026 season.

ESPN gave the CFP management committee a reprieve by extending a Dec. 1 deadline to inform the network of just how many Playoff games will be played next season to Jan. 23. The deadline will not be extended again.

The options haven’t changed much since late summer:
  • Stay at a 12-team field with five spots for the highest-ranked conference champions, which is the default if consensus on an expansion plan cannot be reached.
  • Expand to 16 teams next year by adding four at-large spots to the current bracket.
  • Expand to 24 teams, which would require more than one year’s notice to implement.
Agreement between the SEC and Big Ten — essential for any change — remains uncertain, but a couple of potential compromises could provide a path to resolution and a larger Playoff for the 2026 season.

If the Big Ten is willing to back away from the field mostly being set via automatic qualifiers — which the league appears to be now, people familiar with the direction of discussions believe — maybe the SEC would be open to doubling the size of the field within the next two or three years?

The Athletic spoke to several people involved in or briefed on the discussions to get an idea of where the possibility of expansion stands heading toward a pivotal in-person gathering of CFP officials, the day before the Jan. 19 national championship game in South Florida.

The odds of expansion seem to be increasing, but this is still very much an active negotiation.

“Expansion is a necessity,” one person familiar with the discussions said. “The question is when and how?”

The SEC has made where it stands more than clear over the last month or so, from commissioner Greg Sankey to Mississippi State president Mark Keenum, who heads the CFP’s board of managers. The SEC wants a 16-team Playoff with as few spots dedicated to automatic qualifiers (AQs) as possible.
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Expanding the Playoff to 24 teams would be complicated, starting with the elimination of conference championship games and the reworking of TV contracts that include them, and it is not something college football could flip the switch on less than a year out from the 2026 season. Realistically, the soonest a postseason of that size could be implemented would be the 2027 season, but there is at least some interest beyond Big Ten country.

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark publicly acknowledged being intrigued by 24. The components of the model, which would de-emphasize the selection committee and create a more clearly defined path to qualification through conference play, address a lot of common complaints about the current format and the changing standards of success in major college football.

But the SEC is not on board.
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Just sayin': Might as well just go to 16 teams. If they had 16 teams this year; #11 Notre Dame, #12 BYU, #13 Texas, and #14 Vanderbilt would have gotten in; and in lieu of Notre Dame and Texas, #15 Utah and #16 USC would be bitching.... :lol:

2026 tOSU Special Teams Discussion

Former Ohio State star sends Ryan Day some important transfer portal advice after Cotton Bowl loss to Miami

The former Buckeyes star wants a major change made in how the team attacks the transfer portal this year.

Fresh off a frustrating Cotton Bowl loss to the Miami Hurricanes, the Ohio State Buckeyes staff has plenty to do this offseason. It was an impressive campaign for much of the regular season for them, but the ultimate goal was not achieved. They fell short, and clear holes on the roster made a massive difference in the end for OSU.

The transfer portal will play a key role in creating another dominant roster for the Buckeyes in 2026, but an underrated need is already getting pointed out as one that must be addressed in an impactful way by Ohio State’s staff and NIL plan.

Fresh off a frustrating Cotton Bowl loss to the Miami Hurricanes, the Ohio State Buckeyes staff has plenty to do this offseason. It was an impressive campaign for much of the regular season for them, but the ultimate goal was not achieved. They fell short, and clear holes on the roster made a massive difference in the end for OSU.

The transfer portal will play a key role in creating another dominant roster for the Buckeyes in 2026, but an underrated need is already getting pointed out as one that must be addressed in an impactful way by Ohio State’s staff and NIL plan.

Garrett Wilson pushes Ohio State to find top kicker after loss to Miami

Former Buckeyes wide receiver and first-round pick of the New York Jets Garrett Wilson was understandably concerned with the inconsistency on special teams this season for Ohio State. He made that clear on social media, placing some pressure on head coach Ryan Day to go “big fish hunting” at kicker.

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Just sayin': So far here are the kickers in the transfer portal....


Does anybody actually stand out as a "top kicker"?

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