Heather Dinich: Notre Dame fallout could push commissioners toward Big Ten’s 24-team CFP model

The fallout from Notre Dame’s controversial omission from the College Football Playoff may have ripple effects far beyond South Bend. According to ESPN’s Heather Dinich, the frustration surrounding the final rankings could accelerate momentum for one of the most radical playoff ideas on the table in the Big Ten’s proposed 24-team CFP format.

Appearing Monday on Get Up, Dinich explained that multiple commissioners, particularly those in conferences with just one team represented this season, may now be far more willing to explore the expansive model championed by Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti.

“This is the Big Ten’s argument, to have a 24-team playoff. Then you would have the teams have play-in games in order to determine which teams should be in the College Football Playoff,” Dinich said. “I think, as all of this unfolds, there’s certainly going to be more of a lean from other commissioners to at least be open to this idea. I mean, if you’re the ACC or the Big 12 with one team in right now, why wouldn’t you consider a model that gives you four guaranteed spots?”

The Big Ten’s proposal surfaced over the summer and was largely dismissed at the time. The model would award four automatic bids to each power conference, along with two to the Group of 6 (with the new-look PAC-12 to be launched next year) and six at-large bids. That’d form a 24-team field that begins with play-in games.

Though fans have been skeptical, the idea gained a powerful endorsement in October when Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks, whose network holds the Big Ten’s media rights, said, “I don’t see any reason why the CFP can’t be 24 teams.”

Would 24 teams fix the College Football Playoff?

In the wake of the Notre Dame–Miami–Alabama at-large debate, the concept no longer feels theoretical. The Irish were ranked ahead of Miami for weeks despite the head-to-head loss. They fell out on the final weekend when BYU’s loss forced a direct comparison between the two teams. Alabama, meanwhile, remained locked at No. 9 after losing the SEC Championship Game.

The result meant both the ACC and Big 12 placed just one team in the bracket. Additionally, Notre Dame, widely considered a top team by most analytical measures, was left out entirely.

That outcome has intensified conversations about whether the system gives too much power to a small committee and too little margin for error to contenders in conferences with limited depth. A 24-team model would eliminate those issues, but not without massive consequences.

Conference championship games would almost certainly disappear. Critics worry the regular season would lose value for elite programs that are essentially guaranteed playoff spots. Still, as Dinich noted, the idea is no longer at the fringe of the conversation.

Between many factors, like commissioner frustration, media-rights and high-profile controversies like Notre Dame’s, the push for expansion beyond 12 or even 16 teams is gaining traction. The debate is only just beginning, and it’s not going anywhere, anytime soon.