Within the SEC and Big Ten, momentum is building to further expand the playoff to 14 or 16 teams, assign multiple automatic qualifiers per league — as many as four each for themselves — and finalize a scheduling arrangement together that may fetch millions in additional revenue from TV partners, sources told Yahoo Sports.
According to most who have viewed the memorandum of understanding from last spring, the SEC and Big Ten hold sole discretion on the future CFP format starting in 2026, the beginning of the CFP’s new six-year television agreement with ESPN that runs through the 2031 playoff.
With this we are heading directly into College Football death. You ignore what made College Football? Don’t be surprised when your customers watch something else.
Many on here will not like this but personally I think 14 is the right number with 4 BIG auto bids, 4 SEC auto bids, 2 Big 12 auto bids, 2 ACC auto bids, 1 G5 auto bid, 1 at large. Top 4 conferences can decide how they want to allot their auto bids - division/pod winners, top ranked teams, play in games, whatever. Top 2 ranked conference champs get a bye in first round of playoffs - this keeps BIG and SEC championship games relevant outside an expanded playoff. More big games to be had. More $ to be had. Easy peasy. If Big 12 and ACC can convince SEC/BIG to only take 3 auto bids each and not 4 and add 2 at large to the pie - even better. I’m good with the 4-4-2-2-1-1 arrangement though if BIG/SEC force it.
Leaving the NCAA would not benefit no college at the end of the day. It’s a MAJOR seismic bold move. I doubt it happens. It can kill college sports if basketball eventually decides to follow suit.
This is the Winston Churchill argument “Democracy is the worst form of government, until you start talking about alternatives.”
Everyone agrees that the current system is unsustainable. Now that UH is in a P4, there is little down side to changing. UH will benefit from the decisions made by the P4 power brokers.
This is the latest step to a P2 format.
On what ground does the big10 and sec come up with four each to the cfp? ASU was robbed against utamafia. Everybody knows it except for the big and sec. This is not and has never been about sport but to maximize how much money they can. They go this route? I sure hope the the so called G5 take them to court.
Many of these schools are public schools benefiting from our tax money supporting their research. Why should a tax payer in a g5 market contribute to a research project at a P2? Hit them where the sun does not shine.
To qualify for the CFP, P4 schools have to participate in their conference CG. The B1G and SEC conferences pick their 3rd representative, not the NCAA (that should be entertaining.)
Seriously, 5 guaranteed slots for G5 champs? I can’t support that at all. Playing in, and winning a weak ass G5 conference should not guarantee a playoff spot! Playing in tough conference/s should count for something. A no 4 team in a tough conference is more deserving than most G5 champs.
A slot for the highest ranked G5 is fair. Give an at large to additional G5 teams that are ranked in the top 16. But to give guaranteed slots to all G5 champs is ridiculous.
Sec 4
Big4
Big12 2
Acc 2
ND 1 if in top 14 or whatever they decide
G5 1
If 16 teams then the above is good with 2 at large
The big12 getting 2 autos a yr is good for us. The sec and big10 did basically add the top teams from the pac and big12 so I’m good with their 4 as long as we for sure get 2 auto bids
Nope, not the least worried, the SEC and the BIG need the ACC and Big12 to make the playoffs real. Status quo holds with no automatic byes in the next iteration.
Think espn isn’t going to be on board with this. They’ve squeezed as much juice as they can out of the SEC. Too big, cost too much.
My prediction is espn’s walking away from the SEC in 2031.
