What college football leaders say about CFP expansion as deadline looms

While there is a general mood that college football should expand its playoff from the current 12-team format, there is still no agreement on exactly how to do it.

The only consensus the various Power Four commissioners have come to is how to seed teams, with a straight-seeding model set to be implemented starting this season, ending the sometimes-confusing difference between seedings and rankings we saw last year.

But as to how many teams there should be going forward, there is still considerable debate, as there is on how to award places in the postseason, and to whom based on what criteria.

Will it stay at 12 teams? Will it expand to 14, or even 16 teams? Who gets automatic places, and how many?

And they are working on something of a deadline, as SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said this offseason that media partner ESPN must be informed of what the 2026 playoff will look like by the end of November.

Big questions face college football’s decision makers, and little in the way of answers with just over a month until the start of the 2025 season.

SEC

College football leaders on CFP expansion — Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

For most of the offseason, it appeared the SEC was in line with the Big Ten on how to expand the playoff and who to include in it.

That plan called for itself and the Big Ten to be awarded four automatic qualifiers each in every future playoff and for the ACC and Big 12 to both be given two each.

Then came some backlash from other conferences, and apparently from the SEC’s own football coaches internally, and now it appears the league is taking a different view.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said last week his conference is open to different playoff formats, including a 5-7, 5-9, or 5-11, with the five in each case referring to the number of automatic qualifiers for conference champions and the other number being at-large bids.

Big Ten

College football’s other most powerful conference, however, is still holding firm to the idea of getting its automatic places.

Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti said his league still supports that controversial 4-4-2-2-1 format, giving the Group of Six one guaranteed spot with three at-large teams.

“I’ve heard my colleagues around other leagues say that a lot of work has to be done to the selection committee, and that’s where I have a hard time on what that actually means,” Petitti told Yahoo Sports.

“In talking to some of the folks in our room, our ADs that have been on that committee, I’ve yet to hear someone say they need more data or stuff to look at. You can come up and make metrics, but ultimately it’s just people evaluating what’s put in front of them.”

It looks unlikely the Big Ten will budge from the 4-4-2-2-1 model unless the SEC adds a ninth conference game to its football schedule, up from the current eight-game league slate it plays.

The feeling from the Big Ten is that the SEC will artificially improve its win-loss numbers come playoff selection time by playing a perceived pushover opponent late in the season, known informally among fans as “Cupcake Week” in late November, while Big Ten teams play league opponents.

Sankey has endorsed the idea of adding that ninth conference game in theory, but there doesn’t appear to be any imminent pressure or plan to actually implement it.

Which means the Big Ten will want to get as many automatic qualifiers in any future playoff that it can, to prevent the SEC from snatching up at-large bids based on what the selection committee believes is a tougher overall schedule in that league.

Big 12

Predictably, the Big 12 didn’t care for the idea that their conference would get just two automatic bids while other leagues got twice that just for showing up.

“We want to earn it on the field,” Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said at Big 12 Media Days.

“It might not be the best solution for the Big 12, but long term, knowing the progress we’re making, the investments we’re making, it’s the right format for us. And I’m doubling down today on 5-11.”

Yormark also said he was confident the playoff bracket will expand to 16 teams by the time the 2026 football season kicks off.

ACC

ACC commissioner Jim Phillips says he is open to the College Football Playoff expanding to either 14 or 16 teams, but is adamant that conference champions should be rewarded.

“Fairness and access should also be part of the equation,” Phillips said at the ACC Kickoff.

“We have a really good playoff right now. It’s the five and seven model. I’m open to 5-9 and 5-11. I always look to our championships to try to have as much access as possible. Within reason, it has to make sense.”

He added: “I think 5 and 7 allows about 9 percent of those who play college football at the FBS level a chance to get into the playoff, and it goes up about a percent and a half. So I think you get to nearly 12 percent if you go to a 5 and 11 model.”

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