The Big Ten’s radical idea to expand the College Football Playoff from 12 to 28 teams is already off to a rocky start, according to industry sources who spoke to CBS Sports on the condition of anonymity.
News of the Big Ten’s internal socialization of an early blueprint to expand the College Football Playoff came to light on Saturday before many of the commissioners in the other nine FBS conferences were informed personally by Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti. Leaks around CFP formats over the last year are nothing new, but the timing — with a Dec. 1 deadline looming for a new agreement — intensified frustration.
“We sound like immature children throwing garbage against the wall,” one upset CFP executive told CBS Sports.
“It’s frustrating that these topics can’t be discussed behind the scenes and brought out to the public once they’ve been vetted,” an SEC administrator said.
Big Ten discussing College Football Playoff expansion proposal to 24, 28 teams
Brandon Marcello
Petitti floated 24- and 28-team playoff models with Big Ten athletic directors last week, sources told CBS Sports. The SEC was informed later, but other conferences were left out until the leak surfaced. Administrators had been focused on 16-team formats in recent negotiations, making the Big Ten’s larger proposals a surprise.
What remains constant is the Big Ten’s desire for multiple automatic qualifiers. For months, its preferred model has been a 16-team field with four AQs for the Big Ten and SEC, two for the ACC and Big 12 and one for the Group of Six. By contrast, the ACC and Big 12 have lobbied for a 16-team playoff with 11 at-large bids.
The Big Ten and SEC hold decisive voting power on the CFP board. If the two powers don’t agree on a new format, the playoff stays at 12 teams.
Sources within the Big Ten emphasized that Petitti’s 24- and 28-team designs remain in their infancy and are not ready to be formally presented to CFP executives. SEC athletic directors even discussed similar ideas at spring meetings in June, though nothing formal emerged.
“There was enough conversation about it that it filtered into conversations between the league offices,” an SEC administrator said.
Several SEC athletic directors surveyed by CBS Sports on Sunday were receptive to the Big Ten’s pitch, though there was no consensus. Reaction was also mixed in the ACC and Big 12. Executives in the Group of Six conferences were not in favor.
“I like it,” an ACC athletics director told CBS Sports. “We need to continue to evolve.”
The primary model discussed among Big Ten leadership includes seven automatic qualifiers for the Big Ten and SEC, with five apiece for the ACC and Big 12. The Group of Six would receive two berths, and two more teams would get at-large spots. The format would scrap conference title games, starting the playoff in early December with campus sites hosting the first two rounds.
What would happen to bowl games?
The idea also threatens the bowl system. ESPN, which owns and operates more than half of the non-CFP bowls, is the CFP’s sole media partner. More than doubling the CFP could shrink ESPN’s interest in propping up bowls, especially with 30 non-CFP games scheduled for the 2025-26 season.
“Even with expansion, you’d have to think there’d be bowl games, but by taking away more Power Four teams from the selection pool, bowls will be less relevant,” said Patrick Crakes, a business media consultant and former FOX Sports executive.
Eighty-two FBS teams participated in bowl games last season.
“A bigger playoff is bound to impact the bowl system, but it’s really hard to predict anything these days,” said Bowl Season executive director Nick Carparelli.” Last year we saw the playoff go from four to 12 teams and simultaneously saw the viewership of the non-CFP bowl games increase by 14%, the highest in five years. We’ve been saying all along that it’s the CFP and bowl season together that make up the college football postseason. They complement each other.”
ESPN signed a $7.8 billion deal with the CFP through 2028 but sublicensed some games to TNT, including one semifinal game starting in 2026. Whether a 24- or 28-team playoff could be split among more networks is unclear.
More fallout from revenue sharing
Like most issues in college athletics in recent years, the debate comes down to money. Schools began sharing revenue — as much as $20.5 million — with players on July 1 after the landmark House v. NCAA settlement took effect. Cash-strapped athletic departments are in dire need of new and expanded revenue streams, and many remain concerned about competitive equity in the new landscape.
“Realistically, there are probably only eight to 12 teams across the country that have a legitimate chance to win the CFP championship in any given year,” an SEC athletics director told CBS Sports. “So to imply that there are six to eight Big Ten teams that are deserving of the opportunity to participate in the CFP playoff is a huge stretch.
“Until our industry commits to following and holding each institution accountable to the new revenue sharing and NIL legislation, this will continue be the case. Those who have the most money have and will continue to find creative ways to get it into the hands of the best players to build the best teams.”
Time ticking to lock down CFP format
Commissioners have debated expansion for months without consensus. While many favor a 16-team format, the details have splintered discussions. The SEC recently cooled on a 16-team model after coaches voiced opposition, leaving its position closer to the ACC and Big 12’s proposal for 11 at-large spots.
The Big Ten is still weighing 16 teams, including a version with play-in games to add more inventory for media partners at FOX, CBS and NBC. How much more money those games could generate is up for debate. It hasn’t ruled out staying at 12 either.
Petitti made it his purpose to explore other options after negotiations with the 10 FBS conferences and Notre Dame hit a roadblock in June. He asked fellow commissioners to bring new ideas forward.
“It’s not just lip service,” Petitti told CBS Sports in July. “If people have ideas and formats they want to consider, they’ll find us ready to do the work quickly to get answers back. It doesn’t mean it’ll be an easy hurdle, but we’ll do the work quickly. When ideas come, there’s no pride of authorship here. If there’s something better that solves it, we’ll embrace it.”
The CFP has a hard deadline of Dec. 1 to set its format for 2026-32. Without agreement, the playoff stays at 12 teams with five spots reserved for the highest-ranked conference champions.
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