CFP to remain 4-team format through 2025 season

The College Football Playoff will continue to only include four teams for the next four years, executive director Bill Hancock announced Friday.

The CFP management committee will look for a new arrangement that would take over in 2026 when its current 12-year contract expires.

"The board of managers has accepted a recommendation from the management committee to continue the current four-team playoff for the next four years, as called for in the CFP's original 12-year plan," Hancock said in a statement.

"At the same time, the board expects the management committee to continue its discussions of a new format that would go into effect for the 2026-27 season."

The proposal to expand to 12 teams arose in 2021, but the management committee has been unable to agree on a setup. The board of managers met Thursday to follow up on a management committee meeting earlier in the week before deciding to stick with the current format through 2025.

"Even though the outcome did not lead to a recommendation for an early expansion before the end of the current 12-year contract, the discussions have been helpful and informative," Hancock added.

"I am sure they will serve as a useful guide for the board of managers and for the management committee as we determine what the Playoff will look like beginning in the 2026-2027 season."

The CFP has been a four-team format since its debut in 2014.