The College Football Playoff already gave us a taste of what expansion can do - just ask Ohio State. In 2024, the Buckeyes wouldn’t have sniffed the four-team field.
But under the new 12-team format, they got in as the No. 8 seed and ran the table all the way to a national title. That kind of postseason magic doesn’t happen without expansion.
And yet, Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork is looking even further down the road.
From a purely competitive standpoint, Ohio State hasn’t needed more playoff spots to stay relevant. Since the CFP launched in 2014, the Buckeyes have been a mainstay in the top seven of the final rankings.
They’ve made five appearances in the original four-team setup and were a consistent threat every year. But for Bjork, the conversation isn’t just about Ohio State - it’s about the future of the sport.
“Selfishly, we should say, let’s just go back to four,” Bjork joked. “Selfishly.”
But he’s not pushing for expansion because it helps the Buckeyes. He’s pushing because he sees where the sport is headed - and how much value there is in getting more teams, more games, and more fanbases involved.
“I’m a believer in expansion. I think it’s good for the game of football,” Bjork said this week.
“The games have never been more popular. The fact that we have content that is valuable, live sporting content in today’s environment where everything’s sort of on demand, has never been more valuable.
Producing more content produces more revenue, which we can give back to the players. I’m all for that side of the equation.”
This isn’t just about TV ratings or filling out brackets. It’s about keeping the regular season alive deep into November, giving more teams a shot, and creating more meaningful football across the board. And yes, it’s about revenue - something every athletic department, even one as loaded as Ohio State, keeps a close eye on.
In 2025, the Buckeyes were the No. 2 seed but were bounced by 10th-ranked Miami in the quarterfinals. That loss stung, but it also reinforced how unpredictable - and entertaining - the expanded format can be. And while some argue the four-team setup better served elite programs like Ohio State, Bjork is focused on the bigger picture.
“I think (the CFP should expand) for the greater whole of the enterprise of college sports and the commercial activity, the content, the TV negotiations,” he said. “I think it keeps the regular season more alive. If more teams are in the mix, these games are going to mean so much more than they already do, which again drives the value.”
That brings us to the next phase of the expansion discussion - and it's a big one.
The Big Ten is reportedly floating a bold proposal: a 24-team playoff. According to an internal document, the idea would scrap conference championship games, play the first two rounds on campus sites, and eliminate automatic bids - except for one guaranteed spot for a non-Power 4 team. It’s a dramatic shift, and it’s designed to create more games, more drama, and more revenue.
But this isn’t something that’s going to happen overnight. The 2026 playoff format is locked in at 12 teams.
The Big Ten’s plan would roll out in stages - a 16-team playoff in 2027 and 2028, followed by the full 24-team setup in 2029. That phased approach is aimed at finding common ground with the SEC, which reportedly prefers to cap expansion at 16 teams.
The two conferences hold the keys to the future of the CFP, and while they haven’t agreed on a new format yet, the pressure is mounting.
Bjork, for his part, is open to whatever number makes sense - as long as the sport keeps moving forward.
“I can live with 16, I can live with 20, 24, whatever the number is, but I just think that it’s too valuable right now in the current climate to overlook not expanding,” he said. “I think we need to expand sooner rather than later.”
And there’s a financial reality behind that urgency. Ohio State brought in over $336 million in revenue during the 2025 fiscal year - an eye-popping number.
But they also spent over $320 million. With the cost of doing business in college athletics climbing - from revenue-sharing models to expanded coaching staffs - every new revenue stream matters.
A 24-team playoff could add 12 games to the postseason calendar, with 10 of those open for bidding by networks. That’s a lot of inventory - and a lot of potential cash.
Still, there’s a tradeoff. Letting in more teams means letting in more average teams.
Last year, an 8-4 Iowa squad would have made the cut. And a 24-team format would require even the top seeds to win four or more games to claim a title.
That’s a gauntlet - and it could dilute the value of a dominant regular season.
But Bjork isn’t worried about that. He believes Ohio State will be in the mix no matter how the format shakes out.
“Ohio State’s going to be in the mix. We’re one of those programs that has consistency,” he said. “And so that’s what’s exciting about the opportunity to expand, create more compelling matchups, and create more inventory that our fans can grab onto.”
The bottom line? Expansion is coming.
The only question is how big it gets - and how fast. For Bjork and programs like Ohio State, it’s not just about chasing championships.
It’s about shaping the future of college football.