GRAPEVINE, Texas — Are we there yet?
Is this it?
Is the College Football Playoff really, truly finally going to expand?
Eh. Hold that thought. Maybe for three more seasons.
The College Football Playoff management committee, composed of the 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick, is meeting in-person on Wednesday at the DFW Grand Hyatt for another critical discussion about expanding the playoff.
It could truly go either way.
The sport’s decision-makers might remain indecisive, and their inability to come to a consensus will keep the format at four for the duration of the current contract, which runs through the 2025 season. Or … they will agree to expand to 12, and fans that have been clamoring for a larger field will finally be able to celebrate. The least-likely scenario (unpopular but not entirely impossible) is tabling the discussion for a few more weeks, or until everyone is together again at the Jan. 10 national championship game in Indianapolis.
For the playoff to expand, there has to be unanimous agreement among the commissioners before presenting it to the 11 university presidents and chancellors who comprise the CFP’s board of managers and have the ultimate authority to change the format. While many of the concerns have been addressed in previous meetings, there are still obstacles.
It’s another closed-door meeting, but unlike the previous few, this one should elicit more of a reaction from fans, coaches, players and administrators — for better or worse.
