The announcement Thursday that a subcommittee examining the College Football Playoff recommended expanding the current four-team system to a 12-team model puts on the table the possibility of a fundamental realignment of the sport, uncharacteristic of previous alterations to the system of determining a national champion that typically have been incremental adjustments.
The new approach would address issues related to accessibility for Power Five league and Group of Five schools left out of the selection process in recent years, and open the door for more at-large berths. But it would also lengthen the postseason by at least one game and possibly two for those playing in the first round.
The new plan would also have ripple effects for the regular season, and impact the value of conference championship games and other in-season matchups that would affect seeding rather than a place in the field. The drama and debate over who is No. 4 is significantly different than arguments for and against who is No. 12.
