It doesn’t feel like it is a matter of if, but when will the College Football Playoff expand from its current 12-team format? If FOX Sports CEO Eric Shanks gets his way, the playoff field would double in size to at least 24 schools.

Appearing at Puck’s In The Arena event, Shanks made his intentions clear. Right now, FOX Sports finds themselves on the outside of the College Football postseason, as ESPN holds exclusive rights to the CFP, in which they sublease a few games to TNT Sports as well. As it currently stands, the only way FOX could get involved in the College Football Playoff would be if the format expanded, allowing more games to come up for bid.

During a Q&A session with MoffettNathanson analyst Michael Nathanson, Shanks said, “I’m very much in favor of expanding the CFP. I don’t see any reason why the CFP can’t be 24 teams.”

He added, “You can fit it into the schedule. You can have automatic qualifiers from the different conferences. There’s a good model to expand the playoff, and still allow some of the Group of Five to be able to get in. That would give the CFP the opportunity to have more networks involved. Still, with 24 teams, you wouldn’t have an enormous amount of games, but I think you can get more people promoting and marketing the playoffs than there are today.”

This is not the first time that we’ve heard the idea of a 24-team format floated around. Last summer, Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti suggested a proposal similar to Shanks’ idea, which included 24 (or even as many as 28) teams. The league’s idea also includes multiple automatic qualifiers for the power conferences, which is something the SEC has also been in favor of.

This should not come as a surprise that FOX Sports is walking in lockstep with their biggest media partner in college sports, the Big Ten Conference. It would certainly be within the Big Ten’s best interest to get FOX Sports involved in the College Football Playoff. 

ESPN has been accused by many of being able to shift the narratives in favor of their partnered-SEC schools with their association with the playoff. Adding FOX to the CFP’s TV deal would not only help the Big Ten with exposure, but also with messaging to put their teams front and center for the playoff.  

ESPN’s six-year, $1.3 billion annual deal, starting in 2026-27, secures exclusive rights to all CFP rounds, including the selection show and weekly Top 25 rankings. The current format includes 11 or 13 playoff games for a 12- or 14-team field.