Getty Image / David Buono
The College Football Playoff is set to go from four teams to twelve teams next season. But, More changes could be coming to the CFP very soon.
After the wave of conference realignment that has swept the sport the last few offseasons, the power dynamic has changed. Instead of the power mostly resting with the five major conferences, it resides with the Big Ten and SEC.
After all, they will be home to nearly all the major brands in the sport starting this fall. USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington are joining the Big Ten. Oklahoma and Texas will join the SEC. Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, and Colorado are joining the Big 12. Meanwhile, Stanford, California, and SMU are joining the ACC
Some big brands, like Florida State, Clemson, North Carolina, and Notre Dame, remain outside the Big Ten and SEC. But, that doesn’t seem to be the case for much longer. It’s hard to see a scenario where the first three of those aren’t in a major conference soon. At that point, Notre Dame will have to make a choice.
So, naturally, the Big Ten and SEC are going to want more power and access to a playoff. If the other leagues don’t give that to them, they could run their own playoff and get huge ratings with nearly all the sport’s biggest brands.
The current twelve-team playoff model has the five highest-ranked conference champions getting automatic bids, with the next seven highest-ranked teams forming the rest of the field.
But, the new model is calling for something much different. Here’s Yahoo!’s, Ross Dellenger with more.
In a format being socialized among major conference administrators, the Big Ten and SEC would each receive three automatic qualifiers into a 14-team field, with the ACC and Big 12 getting two each and the Group of Five’s best team qualifying as well. Such a model would feature three at-large spots to the highest-ranked teams outside of the automatic qualifiers.
This would be a huge change. Yes, it does favor the Big Ten and SEC. But, honestly, I think that this is a good deal for the Big 12 and ACC. Once those programs leave the ACC, it’s hard to imagine them actually having two of the best fourteen teams in the country in a given season. That same thing applies to the Big 12. To get two automatic qualifiers is honestly one more than I thought they would get.
As for the Big Ten and SEC, three auto qualifiers is a good starting point. With there being three at large-spots, they’ll probably end up with four teams in the CFP each year.
This isn’t finalized, of course. But, it seems at least somewhat likely that this is going to the format starting in 2026.