cfp expansion: Amid 16-team CFP expansion rumors, insider recalls getting dismissed 5 years ago for his assessment

As a potential CFP expansion to 16 teams has reportedly gained steam, college football insider Josh Pate had an "I told you so" moment on Friday.

After people started complaining about the latest proposed College Football Playoff expansion, the CBS Sports college football analyst fired shots at those who are complaining now but favored the expansion before, posting a message on his official X account.

"The result of CFP expansion was so easy to see coming and yet so many complaining today trashed anyone who dared to point it out 5 years ago," Josh Pate said.

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Pate has been opposed to a CFP expansion since the idea was first floated around, and has complained about more teams making the playoff and conference realignment numerous times in the past.

In February, Pate warned that playoff qualifiers would probably go up to 14 or 16 teams in 2026. If that scenario were to come true, the college football analyst preferred to have automatic qualifiers.

"I was never for playoff expansion. But we got it," Pate said. "So I had to bite the bullet on it. But given that we’re here, I’ll tell you, I’ll end up liking this format more. Because what it does is it redirects the focus back onto the conference championship races."

Conference leaders would make the playoff directly, while other top teams would have a de facto CFP-qualifying game, which could replace conference championship games.

CFP expansion to 16 teams could happen in 2026

Could CFP expansion jump from 12 to 16 teams for the 2026 season? Yahoo! college football insider Ross Dellinger reported that Power 4 conference representatives held a meeting on Thursday.

According to the report, there was "growing support" for a 16-team playoff field with automatic qualifiers in that meeting.

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As mentioned by the report, the SEC and Big Ten would each get four automatic bids, with the ACC and Big 12 getting two each. There would be an automatic bid for the best Group of Six team and three at-large bids, one of them reserved for Notre Dame if they meet the criteria.

While a decision on the number of teams and the format hasn't been made yet, one could come in the next couple of months, when the Big Ten and SEC hold their spring meetings. CFP expansion is expected to be a top priority discussion.

Another aspect that could be discussed is whether more CFP games would take place on campus or at Bowl games.

About the author

Allan Wolburg Robles is a College Sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over 17 years of experience in the field writing for publications including Reforma, Yahoo! OddsShark and Apuesta. Allan studied Communications at Anáhuac University, where he learned what would become the basis of a trade that was already a dream of his before starting college.

His favorite team is Army West Point as when he was young, Allan lived in West Point for a couple of years, went to pretty much every home game, a couple of Army-Navy games and even got to meet some of the players.

Allan's favorite players of all time include Tommie Frazier, who was unbelievable during the Nebraska dynasty of the early 90's. Tim Tebow was also a favorite, mainly because of his leadership skills, although he was also awesome on the football field. As a fan of defensive football, (or what's left of it), Sean Taylor could take over a game for Miami.

Allan has always considered himself a student of the game more than a fan of it. So the historical part and evolution of the game, as well as the ins and outs of what happens on the field, and being able to put it into words for the audience, are his biggest strengths.

Besides sports, Allan enjoys reading books, watching movies and spending time with his dogs.

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Edited by Ruth John S