Heather Dinich: Big Ten ‘has leverage’ over SEC, conferences regarding potential College Football Playoff expansion

Momentum continues to build for an expanded College Football Playoff. According to ESPN’s Heather Dinich though, the future of the format remains stalled, largely because the Big Ten Conference believes it holds significant leverage over the rest of the sport.

Appearing Monday afternoon on SportsCenter, Dinich explained that while there is growing support for moving to a 16-team playoff as soon as next season, negotiations between the Big Ten and the Southeastern Conference have reached a critical impasse.

“I can tell you that there is momentum for a 16-team field, but the Big Ten has leverage,” Dinich said. “They’re saying, ‘You know what, I’ll give you your 16-team Playoff for two or three years, if you agree, SEC, to a 24-team Playoff.’ And agree is a very different word than consider.”

That distinction has become the central issue in ongoing talks. According to Dinich, some stakeholders are willing to consider a 24-team field in the future, but committing to it now would require sweeping changes , including the elimination of conference championship games and a complete reevaluation of the college football calendar.

“I asked people, sources, ‘What is your gut feeling about what’s going to happen next year?’” Dinich added. “And they all said they think it’s going to stay at 12, because they don’t think the SEC and Big Ten commissioners can agree on this.”

In a detailed report published Sunday on ESPN.com, Dinich noted that strong support exists for a 16-team playoff beginning in 2026, but only if Tony Petitti of the Big Ten and Greg Sankey of the SEC can reach a compromise. Despite a majority of commissioners favoring expansion, the two power brokers effectively control the outcome under the governance structure agreed upon during the CFP’s most recent contract negotiations with ESPN.

The deadline for finalizing the format was moved in November from Dec. 1 to Jan. 23, 2026. CFP leadership, including all 10 FBS commissioners, Pete Bevacqua of Notre Dame and the organization’s board of managers, will meet Jan. 18 in Miami, one day before the national championship game, to review the season and discuss next steps.

Two primary models are expected to be on the table, per Dinich. A 16-team field with five conference champions and 11 at-large bids, and a more aggressive 24-team format. While Sankey’s support of a 16-team playoff is considered significant, sources told Dinich that the Big Ten is pushing to use that expansion as leverage to secure a future move to at least 24 teams.

If no agreement is reached by the January deadline, the playoff will remain at 12 teams, with guaranteed spots for the Power 4 champions and the highest-ranked Group of 6 champion, a scenario that now appears increasingly likely as the stalemate drags on.