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Report: Big Ten 'populating' idea to potentially expand College Football Playoff to 24, 28 teams

ns_headshot_2024-clearby: Nick Schultz08/16/25NickSchultz_7
College Football Playoff

The Big Ten has started to “populate” an idea to expand the College Football Playoff, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported. It could include expanding the field to 24 or 28 teams.

The idea would include the elimination of conference championship games and creating more automatic bids for the Power Four conferences, according to ESPN. It would include seven spots for the Big Ten and SEC and five bids apiece for the ACC and Big 12. That would leave two bids for non-P4 conferences and two at-large spots.

Under a 28-team format, 20 College Football Playoff games would take place on campus sites – building off an idea which began last year when the 12-team bracket debuted. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti mentioned the idea with members of the conference Wednesday, according to ESPN, though the idea is “in the very early stages.”

Yahoo! Sports’ Ross Dellenger reported Petitti and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey held a preliminary call about the idea on Friday. However, the discussions have been largely inside the Big Ten. SEC athletics directors have a regularly scheduled meeting next week, and the topic may come up.

Petitti has been vocal about his desire to overhaul the College Football Playoff while preserving the regular season. He also suggested play-in games during conference championship weekend.

As conversations continue about the future of the College Football Playoff, the Big Ten and SEC are at the forefront. They have the bulk of control, including regarding formats. However, the two sides disagree on next steps for expansion.

Big Ten, SEC at odds on College Football Playoff expansion

In the spring, the Big Ten and SEC discussed two proposals. One was a 4-4-2-2-1 model which included four bids each for the Big Ten and SEC, two apiece for the ACC and Big 12, one for the Group of 5 and three at-large spots. It would also include play-in games.

The other model was a 5-plus-11 format. That would see the five highest-ranked conference champions and 11 at-large teams in the bracket.

However, the SEC began to shift away from the 4-4-2-2-1. Coaches began to voice their support for the 5-plus-11 model at the spring meetings and continued to do so last month at the conference’s media days.

The Big Ten, meanwhile, is not moving away from the automatic qualifiers and is championing the 4-4-2-2-1 bracket. On3’s Brett McMurphy also reported the conference won’t let up on that idea unless the SEC moves to a nine-game conference schedule.

At Big Ten Media Days, Tony Petitti said he had questions about the selection committee and criteria, which he said plays into the decision to support the 4-4-2-2-1. Those comments came after Greg Sankey addressed the future of the CFP – pointing out expansion does not necessarily have to happen.

“We have a 12-team playoff, five conference champions, that can stay if we can’t agree,” Sankey said. “I think there’s this notion that there has to be some magic moment and something has to happen with expansion, and it has to be forced. No. When you’re given authority, you want to be responsible in using that authority. I think both of us are prepared to do so.”