Reformed Pac-12 joins College Football Playoff without automatic qualification status

The Pac-12 enters the 2026 season with an eight-member football structure following two years of reduced operations. The league officially added Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State, Colorado State, Utah State, and Texas State to join existing members Oregon State and Washington State. While the conference has been reconstituted, it does not hold an automatic bid to the 12-team College Football Playoff. The current playoff format awards bids to the five highest-ranked conference champions and seven at-large teams, meaning no conference receives a guaranteed entry. The reformed Pac-12 now competes alongside other Group of Six conferences for the fifth champion-designated spot in the playoff bracket.

• 10:00 AMYahoo Sports — Does Pac-12 have automatic bid to the College Football Playoff? Rules, explained