Big Ten, SEC Pushing to Expand College Football Playoff

The 12-team College Football Playoff may not last long.

According to a report by Ross Dellenger of Yahoo! Sports, the Big Ten and SEC are working to expand the CFP to 14 or 16 teams, assign multiple automatic qualifiers per league (with as many as four each for the Big Ten and SEC) and finalize a lucrative scheduling agreement from television partners.

The 12-team Playoff debuted this season, with Ohio State knocking off Notre Dame in a battle of the No. 8 vs. No. 7 teams, respectively, and it had been a four-team bracket over the last decade.

An expanded bracket, which would likely alter future conference championship plans, would heavily favor the “Power Two.” Dellenger further reported that the Big Ten and SEC have “sole discretion” on the future of the CFP format beginning in 2026, which is the first year of the new six-year television deal with ESPN.

The TV agreement gives the Big Ten and SEC decision-making powers over the CFP format but tells the two conferences to have meaningful consultation and to collect input from the other conferences. So, it doesn’t bode well for the ACC, Big 12 and others.

Dellenger reported that final decisions could be coming in the next few weeks.

Clemson and SMU, who played in the ACC championship game a couple of weeks ago, earned the 11 and 12 seeds in the latest College Football Playoff, respectively. And they both went down in the first round.

The ACC hasn’t had a national champion since Clemson won the CFP in 2018-19. There have been two ACC national champions in the CFP era, and the Tigers won both. Florida State, in the inaugural CFP in 2014-15, is the only other ACC school to qualify.

The ACC didn’t have a team in the final three four-team CFPs, and while two teams made the first 12-team Playoff, it obviously didn’t go well.

There’s an obvious gap between the SEC and Big Ten and the rest of college football, even when looking at the ACC and Big 12, and the performances this season won’t do much to change anyone’s mind — fairly or unfairly.