THIS ^^^^CFP has to throw the small conferences some bones, to at least give the pretense that's more than just a P4 club fest to dole out the dollars.
The reason why it hasn't grown bigger is that the SEC and Big Ten couldn't reconcile their differences.
Read that starting next season, ND has it written into their contract that if they're ranked #12 or higher, they get an automatic bid.
It's CFB, so some programs are more equal than others, but there is one that's most equal!