CFP director Rich Clark somehow endorses both a 12-team and 24-team playoff in same breath

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The fate of College Football Playoff expansion could be decided in the coming days as ESPN and FBS conference officials wrap up a 30-day negotiating period that was initially set to end Oct. 9, but has since been extended at least a week, to next Friday.

The 30-day window allows ESPN and CFP leadership to hammer out details, both logistical and financial, of a potential 24-team playoff, including the exact format, selection criteria, scheduling, and most importantly, how much additional revenue it can generate versus the status quo. Should a deal not be reached by the deadline, which it is not expected to, the CFP can bring media rights to the open market and solicit bids from other networks.

While entering the window makes the prospect of a 24-team playoff much more likely, it is still up to the television networks to value the expanded format at a level commensurate to the revenue conferences will sacrifice by eliminating conference championship games, which is a necessity of the expanded format.

So maybe somewhat predictably, CFP director Rich Clark, who does not have a direct say in expansion matters (that’s up to the 10 FBS conference commissioners and Notre Dame AD Pete Bevacqua), is hedging his bets.

In an interview with Front Office Sports, Clark simultaneously endorsed the current 12-team model and the 24-team model that has rankled rank-and-file college football fans.

“I am a fan of 12,” Clark said, “But I’m also very excited, if we do go to 24, that it’s gonna be pretty spectacular. You’re talking about top-25 team football for a month straight. I mean, it’ll be good. But it’s hard because I love 12 so much.”

Realistically, Clark knows the decision will come down to money. And though he expressed support for both formats, he was eager to talk up the prospect of doubling the CFP field.

“We have looked at this for some time now, and a lot of thought has gone into it,” he said. “And we believe that we can do this, and that it’ll be good for college football. But we have to make sure that every aspect of it—to include the financials, to include the media partners that we would connect with—that that’s all good, and that it’s right for college football.”

The future of the CFP will likely be determined in the next seven weeks, at least for the time being. CFP leadership has until Dec. 1 to finalize expansion in time for the 2027-28 season. If that deadline is not met, the 12-team playoff will survive for at least another season, at which point we can likely have this discussion all over again.

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