Brett Yormark on SEC, Big Ten auto-bid College Football Playoff proposal: 'I didn't like it'

The commissioners and administrators around college sports have been looking toward the future of the College Football Playoff. Expansion seems inevitable, but there remains a good deal of debate about what the model will actually look like. One commissioner, Brett Yormark of the Big 12, has been particularly open about his thoughts on future models.

A proposed model would give four automatic bids to the SEC and Big Ten and two automatic bids to the Big 12 and ACC. However, as Yormark explained on The Triple Option, he doesn’t like that model for the divide it creates.

“I didn’t like it,” Yormark said. “Obviously, that model has been out there for almost a year now, and I didn’t like it because I just felt that it created a huge divide between us and those two conferences.”

The Big 12 has struggled in recent seasons to get teams into the College Football Playoff. In 2024, for instance, the Big 12 would only have gotten one team in with that model, so by pushing for it, Yormark would essentially be giving up a bid. He’s aware of that but would push for a different model anyway.

“Now, as you guys know, I have good self-awareness. I know where we reside in the world of college football,” Yormark said. “But I just felt that it put a line in the sand that didn’t need to be there. Okay? I’m a firm believer in that if you create value, you should be rewarded. Earn it on the field, okay, every year is a new year. By the way, with settlement, in theory, it should be creating a level playing field across the board. So, I didn’t like it, and it was somewhat foreign to me.”

The model that Brett Yormark would generally like to see is a 5+11 model. That would mean that each Power Four conference and the Group of Five would get one automatic bid each. The remaining 11 teams in this expanded format would be an at-large bid based on the selection committee rankings.

“I was pretty outspoken during our spring meetings that a 5+11 format was certainly something I liked. I like 16 because more access is good. There’s a point where access starts equating access to dilution, but I don’t think at 16 you’re diluting anything. I think it’s a good number to work with. Obviously, the five AQs is what we have now, effectively. The five highest-rated conference champions. So, I felt comfortable with that format versus every year knowing what someone already has before you even play the season. I felt it was in the interest of those two conferences [SEC and Big Ten] only,” Yormark said. “And not in the best interest of the fans of college football. So, I was outspoken about it.”

Changes have already come to the expanded 12-team Playoff. In 2025, there will be straight seeding, rather than the top-four ranked teams earning the bye weeks. However, there have also been questions about the selection committee system, as the SEC has continued to express frustration over last year’s rankings this spring. Those are among the things that the commissioners still need to address in the coming weeks and months.

“That being said, I’ve got a great relationship with my colleagues within the Power Four. I do believe that we will ultimately get to a place that is good for all of us. Might not be great for all of us, but it will be good for us. I think I speak on all of their behalf, also that we’re committed to figuring out a solution,” Yormark said. “And I’ll be with them next week and I’m sure CFP will be a topic of conversation, and we’ll roll up our sleeves and we’ll hopefully figure this out.”

Ultimately, it appears expansion is once again on the horizon. What that looks like, however, remains an open question.