The College Football Playoff is staying at 12 teams in 2026-but don’t let the static number fool you. The format is shifting yet again, marking the fourth straight year of changes for a postseason system that’s still finding its footing in a rapidly evolving college football landscape.
Let’s break it down.
A Familiar Number, A New Setup
The 12-team format that replaced the long-standing four-team playoff after the 2023 season is sticking around. But the details underneath that number have been anything but consistent.
In 2024, the top four conference champions earned first-round byes. Then in 2025, the CFP adjusted again, ranking all 12 teams from top to bottom, regardless of conference affiliation.
Now, in 2026, we’re getting another version-this time with guaranteed access for specific conferences and a major shake-up in how the money flows.
What’s New for 2026
Under the 2026 structure, each of the four remaining Power conferences will get an automatic bid for their champion. The top Group of 6 conference champion (formerly known as the Group of 5) will also secure a spot. Notre Dame, still proudly independent, is guaranteed entry if it finishes ranked in the top 12.
This change isn’t a reaction to the 2025 field, where Tulane and James Madison from the Group of 5 made it in over ACC runner-up Duke, and Notre Dame-ranked No. 11-was left out. That timing is coincidental.
Instead, it stems from a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed back in spring 2024 between the conferences and Notre Dame. That agreement set the framework for this new format, even if it took much longer than expected to finalize the 2026 playoff structure.
Rich Clark: “We’re in a good place”
CFP executive director Rich Clark confirmed on Sunday in Miami that the MOU is officially in place and the 12-team format is locked in for 2026.
“If we stay at 12, which it seems that fans love, we’re in a good place,” Clark said. “We understand what that format will look like, and that’s what will occur.”
And while the field will hold steady at 12 for at least one more season, the behind-the-scenes agreements are shaping the future in big ways.
The Power Shift Behind the Scenes
This all comes in the wake of sweeping conference realignment, and it’s clear who came out on top in the negotiations: the SEC and Big Ten. The original CFP contract, which ran from 2014 through 2025, required unanimous agreement among all conference commissioners and Notre Dame’s athletic director for any changes. That’s no longer the case.
As part of the new deal, the SEC and Big Ten were given significant control over the playoff’s format from 2026 through 2031. In exchange, the other conferences secured auto-bids for their champions and the top Group of 6 team. That trade-off gave the two super-conferences more leverage, and they used it to reshape the CFP’s financial model as well.
Follow the Money: Revenue Realignment
The money distribution is where things get especially interesting-and, for some, controversial.
Over the first 12 years of the CFP, the Power 4 conferences split about 80% of the revenue evenly, with adjustments made based on the number of schools in each league after realignment. That’s changing.
Sources familiar with the revenue breakdown confirm that starting in 2026, the Big Ten and SEC will each receive about 29% of the total CFP revenue. That translates to over $21 million per school annually. The ACC will receive 17% (roughly $13 million per school), the Big 12 gets 15% (around $12 million per school), and the Group of 6 conferences will collectively receive 9%-which comes out to just $1.8 million per school.
Oregon State and Washington State, now in a unique position post-realignment, will each receive about $3.6 million under an addendum to the agreement.
Flat Payouts Replace Performance Bonuses
Another major change: performance bonuses for advancing in the playoff are mostly gone. In the current setup, a deep postseason run could earn a school like Miami around $20 million. Starting in 2026, that number becomes a flat payout-regardless of whether a team wins a national title or gets bounced in the first round.
That means a bottom-tier SEC or Big Ten team could earn more than a top-performing team from another conference, simply by virtue of its conference affiliation. That financial disparity is already fueling legal challenges, like Florida State’s lawsuit against the ACC.
Notre Dame, meanwhile, will receive more than $12 million annually, with an extra $6 million kicker if it makes the playoff. That puts the Irish right in the earnings ballpark of Big Ten and SEC schools during qualifying years.
Notre Dame’s Clause: Forgotten, Then Remembered
Notre Dame’s guaranteed access with a top-12 ranking was part of the original MOU, but it seemed to fall off the radar-until Irish athletic director Pete Bevacqua reminded everyone in a December interview. The Irish had been left out of the 2025 field despite finishing No. 11, sparking questions about how firmly that clause was being enforced.
Some schools, including USC, reportedly began rethinking their scheduling relationship with Notre Dame after the reminder. Others questioned the value of playing the Irish if the playoff path didn’t include them. But according to a Big Ten official, everyone in the league had been fully briefed on the MOU and its terms.
ESPN Deal Locks in Big Money
All of this is happening under the umbrella of a new six-year deal with ESPN, signed in the summer of 2024. The contract is worth an average of $1.3 billion per year, underscoring just how high the financial stakes are in this new era of college football.
What’s Next?
While the 12-team format is locked in for 2026, there’s still plenty of talk about expansion. Both the SEC and Big Ten are reportedly in favor of growing the field beyond 12, which would likely trigger another round of negotiations-and potentially more changes to auto-bids, revenue sharing, and seeding.
But for now, this is the reality: a 12-team playoff with guaranteed spots for conference champs, a clearer path for Notre Dame, and a financial structure that heavily favors the two power players in the sport.
The CFP hasn’t just evolved. It’s been reshaped by the forces that now dominate college football-realignment, revenue, and reach. And while the bracket may look familiar on the surface, the game behind the scenes has changed dramatically.