College Football Playoff approves 5+7 model in 12-team format for 2024 season meaning more top program access
The College Football Playoff has approved its new 5+7 model as the 12-team playoff era is set to begin this fall. What does mean for you favorite team(s) and the future of the sport? Chris Vannini of Athletic broke the news today that the College Football Playoff unanimously approved the move from 6+6 to 5+7 […]
The College Football Playoff has approved its new 5+7 model as the 12-team playoff era is set to begin this fall. What does mean for you favorite team(s) and the future of the sport?
Chris Vannini of Athletic broke the news today that the College Football Playoff unanimously approved the move from 6+6 to 5+7 in terms of automatic qualifying spots for the 12-team playoff model this fall.
In the old 6+6 model (when there were five legitimate power conferences) the six highest ranked conference champions would automatically qualify for a bid in the playoff. However, since the Pac-12 has now been all but dissolved (just Oregon State and Washington State remain after conference realignment) the 6+6 model no longer made any sense.
Under either the 5+7 or 6+6 model the SEC, Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12 conference champions would represent four of the automatic qualifiers. But without the Pac-12 yielding a legitimate conference in 2024 a 6+6 model would mean that two of the Group of Five conference champions (from the AAC, MWC, Sun Belt, MAC, or CUSA) would earn an automatic bid. This of course did not sit well with schools from the major conferences.
A shift to a 5+7 model in this new 12-team playoff era will allow automatic access to the four major conferences as well as the single best lower conference champion. This model allows playoff access to any and every school without landing one too many programs that truthfully don't belong the in playoff in the first place.
This new 5+7 model will only officially remain the standard until the conclusion of the 2025 college football season, at which point the College Football Playoff contract is up for renegotiation and potential restructuring.
This move is yet another step in the direction of consolidating power at the top, giving more playoff spots to power conference schools, especially those that find themselves in the SEC and the Big Ten.
