CFP Committee Exploring Expansion Alternatives, Including 16-Crew Playoff Layout

The NCAA College Soccer Playoff committee heard from a working neighborhood exploring doable changes to the four-team structure at its annual spring meeting this week, with the neighborhood reviewing a pair of alternate recommendations including a self-discipline of as much as 16 teams, executive director Invoice Hancock acknowledged in a assertion. 

In all, the working neighborhood produced from four CFP committee people has reviewed 63 proposals for alternate with six-, eight-, 10-, 12 and 16-team alternate recommendations for the postseason tournament. No alternate to the four-team playoff appears drawing near near, on the other hand, as the working neighborhood is persevering with to learn about alternate recommendations, and the committee reaffirmed its perception in the four-team structure. 

“I are looking to remind each person that no topic solutions the management committee may perchance presumably construct, all choices about our future structure—whether to dwell at four teams or alternate to a atypical structure—will seemingly be made by the 11 presidents and chancellors who put collectively the CFP,” Hancock acknowledged.

Any doable changes to the structure are now no longer going to gain space until after doubtlessly the most up-to-date CFP agreement expires in four years, Hancock told ESPN’s Heather Dinich. 

“There can also now no longer be a recent structure this season or subsequent season,” Hancock acknowledged. “The timetable is unquestionably a wanted detail, however it hasn’t been definite but. It be too soon to foretell the timing, however even when the board decides to alter the structure, it could most likely presumably successfully now no longer occur until after doubtlessly the most up-to-date agreement has expired, which is rarely until after the 2025 season.”

Per Dinich:

“The CFP has establish of dwelling up a working neighborhood of four management committee people—Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby, Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and Notre Dame [athletic director Jack] Swarbrick. They are anticipated to construct a file to the entire management committee relating to the future structure at the CFP’s subsequent meeting, which is liable to be this summer. If there is a mannequin the entire neighborhood supports, the committee will most up-to-date it to the CFP board of managers, who enjoy the last authority over the playoff structure”

That will peaceful require the approval of the 11 presidents and chancellors ahead of any changes are enacted. 

Thompson beforehand told ESPN he believes expansion of the CFP is “inevitable” whereas American Athletic Convention commissioner Mike Aresco believes expansion would aid each and each Group of 5 and Vitality 5 programs. 

Colorado chancellor Philip P. DiStefano agrees that expansion is worth exploring and believes it is some distance liable to be in the CFP’s most productive ardour, pending extra input. 

“I will also in actual fact gain to glimpse the experts and cons and weigh these ahead of organising a last resolution,” DiStefano told Dinich. “Nonetheless I fabricate reflect that expansion is doubtlessly going to happen in the shut to future.”