Pennsylvania Congressman Brendan Boyle warns Big Ten, SEC: 'They appear hellbent on ruining college football'

The Big Ten and SEC have proposed potential modifications to the College Football Playoff automatic qualification model in recent weeks, which has been met with criticism from leaders within the Big 12 and ACC. Some believe this to be unfair, as this could see the Big Ten and SEC end up having double the amount of automatic qualifiers than any other conference.

Pennsylvania congressman Brendan Boyle sent a warning to the Big Ten Conference as well as the SEC on Monday night following SEC commissioner Greg Sankey’s comments on the matter. Boyle was blunt when addressing the proposals the two conferences have put forth.

“Let me state this as clearly as I can: the (Big Ten) and (SEC) should be very, very careful about some of the decisions they are about to make,” Boyle wrote on X. “Because they appear hellbent on ruining major college football. I think they need congressional hearings into their collusion.”

This all comes following a potential expansion to 14 of 16 playoff teams in the future, which has been rumored since it expanded to 12 teams last season. One such proposal, which made headlines earlier this month, would see a set number of automatic qualifiers make the field per conference. It would include four SEC teams, four Big Ten teams, two Big 12 teams, two ACC teams, one Group of Six team, and three automatic bids.

This format would give both the SEC and Big Ten a massive advantage regarding playoff presence, and potential revenue earned from not only making the playoffs, but winning some of the most prestigious bowl games in college football history. Not to mention potentially claiming a national championship.

Some outspoken members of both the Big 12 Conference and the ACC have voiced their displeasure with the proposal. Whether their concerns will be taken into account remains to be seen.

There is something which fans can look forward to while the future playoff concerns get hashed out — a new seeding system for the 2025 season. This will include a model that sees the top four teams being seeded by final ranking, meaning No. 1-4 in the final CFP rankings will earn a first-round bye, even without being conference champion. This means that more than one team in each conference could earn a bye in the first round. This straight-seeding model will likely be the only change to the CFP format for the 2025 season.