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Big Ten ‘populating’ idea of 24 or 28-team College Football Playoff, per report
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The Big Ten doesn’t seem to be interested in resting until its entire league is guaranteed a spot in the College Football Playoff.
According to a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Saturday, the Big Ten has begun “populating” the idea of an expanded CFP field that features 24 or 28 teams.
The proposal, which Thamel stressed is “just an idea at this point,” would eliminate conference championship games and feature “a large number” of automatic qualifiers for every power conference. Under the 28-team proposal, the Big Ten and the SEC would each receive 7 automatic bids while the ACC and Big 12 each received 5. The 4 remaining spots would go to 2 at-large teams and 2 Group of 6 schools.
According to Thamel, Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti initially broached Big Ten leaders with the idea on Wednesday, and the idea has “begun being shared by others” in the days since. It is in “very early stages,” according to Thamel.
The 28-team model would put 20 CFP games on college campuses. The CFP selection committee would remain in place, seeding the field and selecting the at-large teams.
In 2014, the FBS flipped from deciding its champion based on the BCS model to a 4-team Playoff. In 2024, the CFP officially expanded from 4 teams to 12. Immediately after the 12-team playoff concluded, discussions exploded about how to alter the format, how to change the seeding process, and how to ensure more teams from the SEC and the Big Ten were granted access.
Last winter, the CFP selection committee snubbed a trio of 9-win SEC teams in favor of an SMU squad that lost in the ACC title game. The SEC has been hard at work in the months since working with the Big Ten on altered models that would expand the field from 12 to 16.
But a rift formed over the summer between the 2 leagues. The Big Ten wants uniformity in conference scheduling and multiple guaranteed bids for itself and the SEC. In the spring, the SEC voiced strong support for a 5+11 model that would guarantee only 5 spots for conference champs.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.