The College Football Playoff is built to expand.
While only three games determine a champion, the current format is seven games: Two semifinals, a title game and four marquee bowls. To convert a four-team playoff into a 12-team version requires four more games and about three more weeks.
Craig Thompson, the only commissioner the Mountain West Conference has known, is stepping down after nearly 24 years in charge.
The league announced Wednesday that Thompson's last day will be Dec.
College Football Playoff expansion has entered the negotiation stage.
The road to a new format for deciding major college football's national champion took a detour Wednesday when the CFP management committee — 10 conference commissioners and Notre Dame's athletic director — was unable to come to a consensus on the proposed 12-team format.