Overview
- CFP board chair Mark Keenum said the SEC prefers to not include automatic bids in future playoff formats, and commissioner Greg Sankey has voiced the same personal stance.
- Keenum said he is not very optimistic commissioners will agree on a 16-team structure before the Dec. 1 decision point.
- The Big Ten continues to push for guaranteed automatic qualifiers, which remains the central conflict with the SEC.
- One widely discussed 16-team proposal would award spots to the top five conference champions with 11 at-large bids, a plan backed by every FBS league except the Big Ten.
- If no compromise is reached by Dec. 1, the CFP will remain a 12-team tournament in 2026 using the current straight-seeding model with four first-round byes.