CFP director: More on-campus playoff games possible

Future editions of the College Football Playoff could feature more games hosted at campus sites, CFP executive director Rich Clark told reporters Saturday.

Clark said FBS commissioners will discuss the idea of potentially playing quarterfinal games at campus sites when the CFP Board of Managers gathers Sunday for its first official meeting since this season’s 12-team playoff began.

“We’ll talk about it for sure,” Clark said. “The campus games were amazing. That atmosphere, and what went on there, and certainly a lot of people are very interested. But the quarterfinals and the semifinals were amazing, too.”

The expanded playoff format debuted this season with four first-round games on campus sites.

Notre Dame, Penn State, Texas and Ohio State each hosted a game and drew praise from fans, media members and coaches for the festive and electric atmosphere each contest delivered.

Those games gave way to the more traditional settings for the playoff, with the quarterfinals and semifinals taking place at New Year’s Six bowl sites. The Fiesta, Rose, Peach and Sugar Bowls hosted the quarterfinals, while the semifinals were played at the Orange and Cotton Bowls.

The New Year’s Six bowl sites exclusively hosted playoff games from 2014-23, and they remain under contract to host playoff games through the 2025-26 season.

However, Clark did not indicate whether another contract for 2026 and beyond is in the works, according to a report by Front Office Sports.

As for now, Clark is unsure how far the conversation about swapping New Year’s Six bowls for campus sites will go on Sunday.

“I don’t know what the appetite is amongst the commissioners, necessarily,” he said.