Overview
- SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and CFP board chair Mark Keenum reiterated opposition to automatic qualifiers, pointing to no Group of Five team in the Top 25 and recent losses by projected AQ placeholders.
- The Big Ten continues to favor more automatic berths and has floated expansions as large as 28 teams, warning it will resist formats that give the selection committee greater discretion.
- Under the current 12-team setup, bids go to the five highest-ranked conference champions with straight seeding, and the top four overall seeds receive first-round byes.
- Sankey noted an end-of-month decision window driven by media expectations, with ESPN’s multiyear rights and fixed TV schedule limiting late-stage format changes.
- This week’s CFP Top 25 reveal is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, with projections showing strong SEC representation and the Group of Five berth potentially shifting after Memphis’ loss.