The second round of the newly expanded Playoff ended with the top four teams heading home for the season after losing their first game

The format of the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff was intended to reward teams for winning a conference title. The five highest-ranked conference champions all received automatic bids to the playoff with the top four champions — No.

The College Football Playoff is in its inaugural season as a 12-team tournament, and if we know anything about how college sports--or any sport, really--evolves, it's a safe assumption that the format is here to stay. If anything, there will be expansion, not contraction, of the layout.