Overview
- An internal Big Ten document obtained by ESPN outlines a 24-team College Football Playoff using a 23-plus-one model with no automatic qualifiers, top-eight byes, and first- and second-round games on campus before bowl-site quarterfinals and semifinals and a mid-January title game.
- The blueprint proposes opening the tournament on the second weekend of December and instructs the selection committee to avoid first-round regular-season rematches, though in-conference pairings would be allowed if the teams did not meet during the season.
- As a staged path, the Big Ten pitches a 16-team field in 2027–28 with five automatic bids, 11 at-large spots, top-two byes, and initial December games, then a move to 24 teams by 2029.
- The document would scrap conference championship games in the 24-team model, a shift that raises a major funding gap given Power Four title games carry at least $200 million in television value plus significant local revenues.
- The CFP will remain at 12 teams for 2026 after SEC–Big Ten talks stalled over format size, and any change for 2027 faces a Dec. 1 ESPN deadline as stakeholders weigh TV windows, NFL conflicts, the Army–Navy date, and reported SEC athletic director frustration.