CFP expansion: ‘No agreement’ reached amid SEC and B1G stalemate, per reports
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
There’s little doubt that the College Football Playoff will expand from 12 to 16 teams, or maybe even to 24 teams.
Just what that will look like remains to be seen.
The Playoff’s management committee, which includes commissioners of each of college football’s 10 conferences plus Notre Dame AD Pete Bevacqua, along with its board of managers, met in Miami on Sunday to discuss the matter ahead of Monday’s national championship game. However, according to several reports, an agreement has yet to be reached.
The main roadblock, according to Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellinger, is a continued stalemate between the SEC and the Big Ten. While the SEC prefers a 16-team format, the B1G wants 24.
Reports earlier in the week seemed to suggest that some sort of compromise was on the way. According to ESPN’s Heather Dinich, the B1G could entertain a 16-team Playoff temporarily before “(moving) to 24 teams after two or three seasons.”
If there’s to be any sort of expansion in 2026 — whether 16 or 24 — there’s not much time for the SEC and B1G to settle their differences. The deadline for an agreement is on Friday. If none is reached, the Playoff will remain at 12 teams through at least 2026.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
