At less-than-full Orange Bowl, Big 12 commissioner weighs in on adding more CFP home games
The CFP management committee is facing a Jan. 23 deadline to inform ESPN of the format for next season.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said playing more on-campus College Football Playoff games is an option worth examining, but whether it can be executed remains to be seen.
Yormark spoke with reporters Thursday before the Orange Bowl between Oregon of the Big Ten and Texas Tech of the Big 12. While the game had an announced attendance of 65,021, a few hundred short of Hard Rock Stadium’s official capacity (65,326), there were plenty of empty seats visible for the early New Year’s Day kickoff.
The view for today’s Capital One Orange Bowl pic.twitter.com/Bl76sSyiQX
— Manny Navarro (@Manny_Navarro) January 1, 2026
The first round of the CFP features four games on campus before the quarterfinals and semifinals are played in the traditional New Year’s Six bowls.
The CFP management committee, which is made up of the 10 FBS conference commissioners and Notre Dame’s athletic director, are considering options to expand the Playoff to as many as 16 teams, starting next year.
Adding more home games to the format doesn’t seem to be a short-term priority.
“Well, we’ve got to examine that, too,” Yormark said. “You know, operationally, can they do that? The first-round games have been fantastic in every respect, and I think it’s a differentiator for us. When you think about the NFL, the pageantry just being on campus, I think, is a difference maker for us. But again, the commissioners are going to have to think through: Can we do that beyond the first round?”
The quarterfinal travel for fans of the Ducks and Red Raiders was especially difficult, with Oregon having to cross the country and Texas Tech coming from West Texas.
The winner of the Orange Bowl has to make another trip east for a semifinal at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta next week. The national title game is back in Hard Rock Stadium on Jan. 19.
The fifth-seeded Ducks opened the CFP with a home game in Eugene against James Madison. Texas Tech received a first-round bye as one of the top four seeds.
“In my opinion, this game should be played at Texas Tech,” Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said last week. “The higher-seeded team, there should be a home-field advantage for them.”
The CFP has not extended its agreements with the Orange, Rose, Sugar, Fiesta, Cotton and Peach bowls through the next six-year deal with ESPN that kicks in starting next season, but it is expected to do so.
“The New Year’s six bowls have been fantastic, great partners, and they put on an incredible experience, as they have here in town with the Orange Bowl,” Yormark said. “So we’ll see. Everything’s on the table, and hopefully we’ll be very thoughtful about it.”