CFP's 20-team play-in format idea loses steam fast

The hype cycle on this one moved fast. Pete Nakos reported Monday morning that TV consultants were set to present data on expansion models to the CFP Management Committee, framing it as a pivotal moment for the future of conference title games.

Pete Nakos

@PeteNakos

College Football Playoff expansion talk continues Monday, with TV consultants expected to present additional data on the value of expansion models. Will be key data as the future of conference title games is discussed. More: t.co/xdGFLYSeAA

A few hours later, Nakos added a more specific wrinkle: sources told On3 that CFP leaders hadn't yet been formally presented a 20-team format with play-in games, but it could come up as one of the options on Monday's call.

Pete Nakos

@PeteNakos

Sources told @On3 that CFP leaders have not been formally presented a 20-team CFP format with play-in games yet, but it could be one of the formats discussed Monday. Story: t.co/xdGFLYSeAA

That was enough to set off a wave of fan backlash before anything was even decided. CFB Kings ripped the whole premise, arguing 16 is pointless, 20 is ridiculous and 24 is absurd — and that the sport already has play-in games, they're called the regular season.

CFB Kings

@CFBKings

Let’s get another bad idea out of the way. 16 is pointless. 20 is ridiculous. 24 is absurd. Why does it have to change at all? We don’t need 3-loss and 4-loss teams getting in, we already have play-in games (it’s called the regular season), and the current system is fine.

The account kept swinging throughout the afternoon, questioning who actually benefits from expansion data being presented by TV consultants and framing it as a money grab that erodes what's made college football distinct for over a century. Another post laid out a long list of 2024-25 games that functioned as de facto play-ins under the current 12-team setup — Notre Dame-Miami, Texas A&M-Notre Dame, Michigan-Oklahoma and more — making the case that manufactured play-in games are a solution to a problem that doesn't exist.

Then came the reality check. Pete Thamel reported that Monday's Management Committee call was mostly procedural and administratively focused, with little discussion of future formats — and only a brief mention, not a real discussion, of the 20-team (16-plus-four-play-ins) idea. Thamel's sourcing says that format faces a lot of headwinds.

Pete Thamel

@PeteThamel

Sources: The CFP Management Committee call today was mostly procedural and administratively focused. There wasn’t much discussion about future formats and there just a brief mention – no discussion – about a 20-team (16 plus four play-ins) format. That idea faces a lot of headwinds.

The bigger picture: the CFP stays at 12 teams for the 2026 season regardless, but the sport is racing toward a real decision point, with the Big Ten pushing for a 24-team field and the SEC holding at 16, according to CBS Sports. Conference championship games remain locked into media-rights deals through the end of the decade, which is part of why replacing them with play-ins has reportedly been losing momentum even as it grabs headlines. Monday's non-event doesn't kill the 20-team idea, but it's a sign the format war is still very much unresolved.