Big Ten reportedly floating radical new College Football Playoff idea
ESPN secured a six-year, $7.8 billion contract that ensures the network will remain the sole media rights holder of the event through the 2031-32 season in March of 2024. But, whether or not the CFP stays at a 12-team model or expands has been one of the hot button issues of college football.
After plenty of back-and-forth and a spring and summer full of discussion and disagreements, the Big Ten has suddenly introduced a radical new idea for the CFP's future.
According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, the Big Ten has floated the idea of massive expansion to the College Football Playoff that could bring the postseason field to 24 or 28 teams. While Thamel reports that the idea is in its very early stages, the proposal eliminates conference title games and offers a large number of auto bids for all four power leagues, sources said.
In the proposed 28-team CFP model, the Big Ten and SEC would each get seven auto bids while the ACC and Big 12 would each receive five. There would be two auto bids for the non-Power 4 conferences and two at-large teams.
The 28-team format would put 20 playoff games on campus, which would accentuate the success of that from last year's CFP. The CFP Committee would seed the field and pick the at-large teams.
Per Thamel, Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti ran the idea by his conference Wednesday, sources said, and that it has begun being shared by others.
In order to expand the playoff before the 2026 season, the expectation is that leaders need to reach a resolution before the end of this year.
Momentum for a 16-team CFP format picked up steam throughout the spring, but leaders throughout college athletics haven't seen eye to eye on exactly how bids to a 16-team CFP would be awarded. The 5+11 model is supported by both the Big 12 and the ACC and it gained more support from the SEC after the league's spring meetings.
The 5+11 model would include the five highest-ranked conference champions and 11 at-large bids.
Another 16-team CFP model featured the Big Ten and SEC each receiving four automatic bids, the ACC and Big 12 receiving a pair of automatic qualifiers, one bid to the Group of 6 champion and then three at-large bids.
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