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Apr 22, 2026, 11:52 AM CUT
White House Presidential Committee Eyeing Big Change In College Football Playoffs
It has barely been a couple of years since the college football playoff expanded to 12 teams in 2024. There might be another regulation change to that, with a 24-team format. Behind this expansion, the White House is the driving force.
According to the reports, White House are backing a 14-member presidential “media” committee. The committee is tasked with exploring the future of the College Football Playoff. While not all members have been publicly revealed, the group consists of commissioners from the Big 12, Big Ten, and SEC, among others.
“I think it’s accurate to say that there is a coalescing around 24,” said one high-placed stakeholder who is a part of the college football playoff governance committee and the presidential group.
The presidential committee includes Boris Epshteyn, a Republican political strategist and long-time adviser to Donald Trump, ESPN and Fox executives, among others. So, will the White House pass them over to Congress and see if a bill can be passed or not?
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"Not exactly," reported YahooSports' Ross Dellenger. "However, a 14-person presidential “media” committee — its existence supported by the White House — is holding real conversations about the future of the postseason."
At this moment, other than discussions, nothing is concrete. The 12-team playoff format is set to take place for an additional year at least.
The Big Ten’s proposal calls for the college football playoff to grow to 16 teams in 2027 and 2028, before reaching 24 teams no later than the 2029 season.
College Football Head Coaches on College Football Playoff Expansion
The Georgia Bulldogs made it to the playoffs in 2025. Their head coach, Kirby Smart, told On3 that he is 50 percent that teams will pick 16 and 50 percent that teams will pick 24.
“I’d split it right down the middle, and most coaches are going to say more is better than less,” Smart said. “But I can live with either one of those two. There are some TV things that factor into that, but I think at this point, it has to be more than 12 teams to be comfortable with the kind of scheduling that the fan bases want."
The same goes for Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day. According to him, college football must follow the NFL. But he supports the expansion only if it takes care of the pressure on the players and depth issues.
“I do think adding more teams right now is a good thing,” Day told On3.
However, for Kyle Whittingham, the expansion holds no value if the NCAA is still in charge.
"So to me, 16 is the right number, but only in a super-conference structure. You govern yourselves. The NCAA is not involved, and you have your own commissioner," said the Michigan Wolverines head coach.
During last week’s meeting, at least three of the four power conference commissioners, along with Notre Dame, either voiced clear support for or showed strong interest in seriously exploring a 24-team format.
Which format do you think will suit the best? Drop in your comments.
Read more at Michigan Football Community.
