MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla. — The SEC isn’t waffling on its stance on the future College Football Playoff format; it just doesn’t know what it wants. As the other nine leagues across the country favor one of two formats under discussion, the SEC remains in limbo after its annual spring meetings, making it the de facto authority on the future of the sport.
Sources describe the three days of debate and discussion among coaches and administrators inside the Sandestin Hilton as, at times, heated. SEC officials distributed a seven-page document to a small group of reporters on Thursday afternoon. The document, filled with data highlighting the SEC’s depth and strength, painted a picture of what the SEC demands be the focal point of the new CFP’s selection process: strength of schedule.
The document, titled “A REGULAR SEASON GAUNTLET,” reiterated the undercurrent steering administrators and coaches at these meetings: The SEC deserves more consideration and recognition from the CFP selection committee — and perhaps they should implement a few more data points that have long favored the SEC’s strength of record and schedules over the last decade.
“This is wanting to understand the decisions and we have to have better clarity on the criteria that informs those decisions,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said during a 47-minute session with reporters that focused mainly on the CFP’s future.
Ultimately, those decisions are made by a 13-person panel of athletic directors, former coaches and one member of the media. They rely on data, yes, but that only informs their decisions, which remain somewhat unclear, particularly with the public. The CFP also does not weigh strength of record in its decision-making, a protocol in place since the inception of the CFP 11 years ago.
Three SEC teams participated in the first iteration of the 12-team playoff, but none advanced to the national championship game for the second straight year. The last time that happened was 20 years ago in the Bowl Championship Series era.
The absence of three three-loss teams (Alabama, Ole Miss and South Carolina) irked some within the SEC’s halls. The SEC, in its handout, said conference finished No. 1 in five metrics in each of the last 10 years. Four of those metrics, hosted or owned by media partner ESPN, included strength of schedule, strength of record, the SP+ (a predictive model) and the Football Power Index (another predictive model).
“How will a 9-3 SEC team be evaluated against others who may have one or two losses?” Sankey asked. “The rigor of this schedule is unique and it stands alone by comparison. How is that best respected in this national evaluation system?”
Sankey also pointed to the 2023 season, when one-loss Georgia was left out of the four-team playoff after losing to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.
“Not a lot of noise about them,” Sankey said. “Being undefeated was never an expectation of being selected into the four-team (playoff), that just isn’t perfect criteria. Otherwise, North Dakota State would be in there. It’s a little bit extreme, but you understand the point.”
The SEC’s infomercial touting its strength, however, was not the big story this week along the beautiful sandy white beaches of Sandestin. The SEC’s position on a CFP format took an unexpected turn on Wednesday, when coaches emerged from meetings and shared they overwhelmingly prefer a 5+11 model in a 16-team format. That model, which is supported by the ACC, Big 12 and the Group of 6 conferences, provides five automatic spots for the five highest-ranked conference champions and rewards 11 at-large berths based on the committee’s rankings.
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The Big Ten supports a 4+4+2+2+1 model that rewards it and the SEC four automatic qualifiers, and two for the ACC and Big 12, sources told CBS Sports. The highest-ranked Group of 6 champion is also promised a berth and three at-large teams complete the field.
Most SEC athletic directors echoed the wants of the Big Ten entering spring meetings, but the 5+11 model has gained momentum after coaches’ feedback this week. The influence that coaches have on athletic directors remains to be seen, but several surveyed by CBS Sports were open to re-examining their position. Thus, the SEC’s pitch deck on changing selection criteria in the CFP, which would rely heavily on the selection committee in a 5+11 format.
Like any conference, the SEC seeks more representation in the field and a deeper understanding of the data the committee utilizes.
“I do think there’s a need for change,” Sankey said. “How do you explain some of the decisions that have been made?”
The 10 FBS conferences and Notre Dame signed a memorandum of understanding last year that handed voting control of the CFP’s format to the Big Ten and SEC. Should the Big Ten and SEC choose to partner, as had been expected with four automatic qualifiers, the leagues could push their preference through the voting process, but only after engaging in good-faith negotiations with the other leagues.
The deadline for CFP executives to reach a decision is Dec. 1. That complicates the SEC’s three-year internal dialogue on league games and whether to expand the schedule from eight to nine during the regular season. Athletic directors are hopeful to decide before the upcoming football season, although they had also been hoping to make their decision after the CFP finalizes its new format. Expanding to nine games with a 5+11 CFP format appears to be a non-starter among coaches, again reinforcing administrators’ preference to pursue four AQs in the CFP. A nine-game schedule and four AQs provide the SEC the opportunity to add more enticing games for their network partner, including two playoff play-in games on championship weekend in December, which would draw millions of additional dollars for the conference.
The multiple roads available to the SEC
| CFP Model | Overview | Should SEC Go to 9 Games? | Strategy | Risk vs. Reward |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-4-2-2-1 | SEC & Big Ten each get 4 AQs; 2 each for ACC & Big 12; 1 for top G5 champ; 3 at-large bids | ✅ Yes — high upside | Lean into marquee SEC matchups + “play-in” games; boost résumés | 🔺 Risk: tougher schedule 🎯 Reward: multiple CFP bids, even with 3 losses |
| 5+11 | 5 AQs (P4 champs + top G5), 11 at-large bids via CFP committee | ❌ No — high risk | Stay at 8 games to protect records; avoid cannibalization | ⚠️ Risk: Selection committee holds more power ✅ Reward: safer path for more teams |
| Current Limbo | SEC hasn’t finalized 8 vs. 9 games; waiting on CFP format decision (due Dec. 1) | 🚧 TBD | Debate continues: ADs want 9 for revenue, coaches prefer 8 for wins | 🔁 Risk of misalignment if CFP format is delayed |
The ACC and Big 12 sparked unrest last week when their commissioners issued statements claiming they had done what was “best” for college football by opting to vote against their own interests to implement a “straight seeding” model for the CFP for the 2025 season.
On Thursday, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark appeared on ESPN on the last day of his conference’s spring meetings and reiterated the conference’s support for the 5+11 model.
“From where I sit, and I know I speak on behalf of our coaches and ADs, we want to earn it on the field and I’m adamant about that,” Yormark said. “I think a 5+11 format does that. It’s fair. It’s what our fans want. They don’t want an invitational, they want a true playoff system and we have that right now.”
Meanwhile, Big Ten commissioner Tony Pettiti has remained silent despite being tied to the 4+4+2+2+1 model. He was not made available to CBS Sports during the Big Ten’s annual spring meetings in California last week. His athletic directors conducted a call to discuss the surprising developments in the SEC this week, according to Yahoo Sports. Big Ten athletic directors still support a CFP format with four automatic qualifiers, sources told CBS Sports on Thursday.
Sankey preached collaboration at the end of the SEC’s meetings — both inside his conference and alongside his colleagues in the ACC, Big 12 and elsewhere. Behind closed doors, he told SEC presidents and chancellors the importance of collaborating with other conferences on the CFP, which was echoed by presidents concerned about their relationships with other ACC and Big 12 schools that also reside inside their footprint. As one president told CBS Sports, “we can’t bulldog” a format on other conferences.
Still, Sankey sounded unsure when asked by a reporter whether this week of back-and-forth in the media – and in meeting rooms – could be a turning point for the power conferences’ cohesion as they try to develop a new CFP format.
“I seem to be the one who gets the ‘good of the game’ question more than others,” Sankey said. “And I understand that responsibility. … Does everybody have that or do they just stay in their corners? I’ve seen that a lot since 2020, and I’ll do my best.”
The next notable date for the CFP is June 18, when the 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame AD Pete Bevacqua are scheduled to meet in Asheville, N.C. Most of them already know what they want. After this week of back-and-forth debate in Sandestin, the SEC is undecided.
Might that change before Sankey arrives in North Carolina?
“We’ll see,” he said.
The college football world awaits the SEC’s decision.
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