Expansion talks have dragged on as the CFP and Rose Bowl seek a resolution

Efforts to expand the College Football Playoff have been delayed after CFP and Rose Bowl officials failed to announce a resolution Wednesday on what appears to be the latest issue.

University chancellors and chancellors overseeing the playoffs are seeking a final decision from Rose Bowl organizers on whether to change their contract agreements for the 2024 and 2025 seasons and clear the way for expansion.

The Rose Bowl is slated to host the traditional Pac-12-Big Ten matchup in those seasons. To host a 12-team playoff, instead of the current four, the Rose Bowl would have to host the semifinals in its traditional time slot on January 1.

Rose Bowl officials have asked the CFP to ensure that it remains on New Year’s Day in the new format for 2026 and beyond.

The CFP’s original 12-year contract with ESPN expires after the 2025-26 season. CFP officials were reluctant to do anything mandatory commitments regarding the College Football Playoff after 2025.

It was 18 months after the CFP unveiled a plan to expand to 12 teams which featured six top-ranked conference champions and six overall picks, regardless of conference, to compete for the national championship over four rounds beginning in mid-December.

The conference’s commissioners, who govern the playoffs, failed to reach the necessary unanimity on the format last year, and in February an extension for the 2024 season was pronounced dead.

University presidents and chancellors, who have the final say on the postseason system, stepped in last summer and revived the expansion plan, ordering the commissioner to try to implement it by 2024.

Expanding the playoffs in the final two years of the current contract is expected to generate an additional $450 million in gross conference revenue.

___

Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at http://www.apppodcasts.com

___

AP College Football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap_top25. Subscribe to the AP Football Newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/mrxhe6f2