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Big Ten’s 24–28 Team Playoff Pitch Faces Backlash as SEC Leaves Door Open to 12-Team Status Quo

Reports describe a plan that would lock in large automatic bids for power leagues, exposing rifts over access and television priorities.

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Overview

  • Multiple reports say Tony Petitti floated 24- and 28-team CFP concepts to Big Ten athletic directors and then to SEC officials, without including the ACC or Big 12.
  • The reported 28-team model would grant seven automatic bids each to the Big Ten and SEC, five to the ACC and Big 12, plus two Group of 5 berths and two at-large spots.
  • FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt says a 24-team framework is receiving more serious discussion, with eight byes and 16 play-in games, and both large-field ideas have been linked to scrapping conference championship weekend.
  • Petitti has publicly opposed formats that expand the selection committee’s discretion and has promoted broader automatic access as his priority.
  • SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has indicated the current 12-team playoff could continue absent consensus, while columnists and commentators criticize the jumbo-field concepts as TV-driven and harmful to the regular season.