Paul Finebaum defends Big Ten, SEC right to control College Football Playoff expansion

As ESPN‘s “Mouth of the South,” SEC Network host Paul Finebaum unabashedly carries water for the Southeastern Conference. And given the ongoing collaboration between the SEC and the Big Ten regarding current discussions around the future of the College Football Playoff, Finebaum is now also throwing his support behind their joint proposal for a 16-team bracket with automatic qualifiers.

Yahoo! Sports insider Ross Dellenger reported last week that there was “growing” support for the Big Ten-SEC proposal that would grow the Playoff from 12 to 16 teams beginning in 2026 and guarantee four automatic bids apiece for the Big Ten and SEC. The ACC and Big 12 would receive two automatic bids each, while the highest ranked Group of Six program would get another with three at-large bids.

Although that proposal clearly favors college football’s two most lucrative leagues, and there has been some pushback from the other two Power conferences, as well as the Group of Six leagues, Finebaum believes the Big Ten and SEC will ultimately get their way.

“I think conventional wisdom is the Big Ten and the SEC are driving every ship and quite frankly they ought to. They are the two most dominant entities in college football,” Finebaum said Tuesday on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning on WJOX-FM in Birmingham. “So, I think that’s where it’s going. There’s always resistance. But I have hard time believing a lot of the ACC, the Big 12 or anyone for that matter would be opposed to it.

“I understand the complaints, 12 seemed at times too large last year. But if we end up going to automatic qualifiers, this makes it a little bit easier. And quite frankly, I know this is a cliché that there’s never too much football, but as long as they have a good plan, I think the public will buy in.”

Report: Potential 16-team College Football Playoff bracket ‘gaining support’

ESPN’s Pete Thamel also reported the focus is on a 16-team College Football Playoff, which would begin in 2026. That’s when the current agreement with ESPN ends, although an extension will also kick in at the end of the deal.

“I would say that 16 is becoming more preferred,” a source told Thamel. “It seems like 16 may be the preferred number, but there’s no format decision.”

No decisions were made Thursday, but one could come in the next couple months. Both the Big Ten and SEC – which play central roles in deciding the College Football Playoff’s future – hold their annual spring meetings at the end of May. Potential CFP changes are also expected to impact the SEC’s conversations about a possible nine-game schedule, which is also set to be discussed in Destin.

The 2024 season marked the first of the expanded 12-team Playoff, which included games at campus sites and byes for the four highest-ranked conference champions. But even before the completion of the 2024 season, fans and league administrators were already looking toward the future. CFP executive director Rich Clark said commissioners have explored “ideas” for future formats in previous meetings.

— On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this report.