Various reports this afternoon are sharing that the College Football Playoff management committee will emerge from their meeting today with a proposal for an expanded playoff.
The recommendation will be to move to a 12-team playoff that will include 6 of the highest ranked conference champions along with six at-large selections.
Nicole Auerbach was among the first to share the news.
The four highest ranked champions would get a bye while the other 8 would play their first round games on campus, Ross Dellenger tweets.
Dellenger adds that the details are far from finalized, but the move from 4-teams to 12-teams will be the recommendation of the committee after their meeting today.
Few will be happier with the change than Group of Five schools, who would now have a real shot at a playoff spot (and perhaps even hosting a game), and national title.
Looking at the end of season rankings from last fall, the SEC could have gotten four teams in a 12-team playoff field with Alabama at #1, Texas A&M at #5, Florida #7, and Georgia #9 while the PAC-12 would have been left out.
Outside of the four that made the field last season, a 12 team playoff in 2020-21 would have also included Oklahoma (#6), Cincinnati (#8), Iowa State (#10), Indiana (#11) and Coastal Carolina (#12). The teams that would have just missed the cut would have been North Carolina at #13 at 8-3 overall and Northwestern at 6-2 overall and #14.
We will have more on this when a release confirms the reports.
Sources tell me & @ByPatForde that the CFP working group is recommending a 12-team playoff: 6 highest-ranked conference champs & 6 at-large.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) June 10, 2021
The 4 highest-ranked champs get a bye while other 8 play 1st-round games on campus.
Long way from done, but this is the recommendation.