Overview
- USA Today, citing Yahoo Sports, reports the Big Ten has presented a 24-team playoff concept that would award four automatic bids to each Power Four league and two to the Group of Five.
- SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has said a move to 16 teams should be a priority for 2026 and favors formats with more at-large selections over additional automatic qualifiers.
- Under a 2024 memorandum, the SEC and Big Ten must jointly approve any format change for 2026, leaving expansion contingent on agreement between Greg Sankey and Tony Petitti.
- The College Football Playoff faces a Dec. 1 deadline to inform ESPN of any 2026 format changes, and Front Office Sports reports an extension would require a CFP request that has not been made.
- Expanding to 16 teams would add four first-round game windows, creating scheduling hurdles for ESPN that already include sublicensed games to TNT Sports and competition with the NFL.