SEC is pivoting to preferred College Football Playoff format after spring meetings

Revenue-sharing is (supposedly) arriving in college athletics on July 1. The House settlement needs to be passed but a new era in college football is arriving this fall. That era will be accompanied by another expanded College Football Playoff (CFP). SEC commissioner Greg Sankey will have a major say in the new direction of the postseason.

The leader of the conference seems to be following his league’s request after meeting all week at the Hilton Sandestin in the Florida panhandle.

More info is being socialized with other conferences about the discussions Thursday from SEC ADs & presidents.

The league is indicating that it is *not* supporting a multi-AQ format (4-4-2-2-1), preferring instead more at-large bids + a selection committee criteria change.

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) May 31, 2025

There was much speculation that the 4+4+2+2+1 format that would include four automatic bids for the both the Big Ten and SEC along with play-in games on championship weekend would be what the SEC supported. The model created by Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti was considered the favorite. Now it should probably be considered the underdog. The ACC and Big 12 proposed a 5+11 model that would give conference champions an automatic bid and ask the selection committee to select 11 at-large teams. The SEC seems to favor that model.

“Though the league showed support for a multi-AQ format in CFP meetings with fellow commissioners, the pushback from a variety of groups – including its own coaches + CFP data provided by the conference – has moved university administrators toward a different approach,” Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger reported on X.

“Leaders from two of the SEC’s biggest brands – Georgia & Alabama – were influential during conversations this week over a pivot from a format that potentially limited the league to four playoff spots & required an additional “play-in” game.”

Will Petitti and the Big Ten support this? We will find out soon as the power conference commissioners and the CFP management committee have a meeting in Asheville, North Carolina scheduled for June 18. Early reporting indicates that the Big Ten will not support this proposed expansion model unless the SEC moves to nine conference games. Sankey’s league has not yet decided on its scheduling model for 2026.

There are many big-picture topics that need to be decided on. The settlement is out of everyone’s hands but CFP expansion and the conference scheduling model are in the SEC’s hands. Just last year, the other power conferences and Notre Dame signed a memorandum of understanding that gave the Big Ten and SEC authority power when it came to CFP decisions. The north could be willing to fight the SEC if they refuse to move to a nine-game schedule.