Big Ten, SEC leaders discuss College Football Playoff changes with seeding, auto bids among pressing topics

A second meeting between Big Ten and SEC leaders didn’t result in major news, but it signaled potentially significant changes coming down the line. 

Following the historic meeting between the two conferences in Nashville back in October, Big Ten and SEC athletic directors and conference leadership met in New Orleans Wednesday to discuss a variety of topics, including changes to the College Football Playoff — and, in the SEC’s case, whether to expand its own conference schedule. 

While Wednesday’s outcome didn’t lead to any direct changes, it’s clear the Big Ten and SEC are continuing to make their case for a CFP takeover. Here’s what we learned. 

Big Ten, SEC aligned on seeding changes

Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey both expressed support for changing the CFP’s current seeding process. The two commissioners agreed that the CFP Rankings, not conference championships, should determine automatic first-round byes. 

That conundrum came into play in the first year of the 12-team CFP when Boise State and Arizona State both received automatic byes into the quarterfinals despite being ranked behind multiple other teams in the field that had to play a first-round game, including eventual national champion Ohio State. 

It is possible that desire for change could be reflected in the upcoming 2025 season, but it’ll require a unanimous vote. To this point, there has been considerable skepticism that conferences like the ACC and Big 12, which benefited this past season from the format, would willingly give away that advantage for nothing. 

If the Big Ten and SEC can’t get it done for this year, it’s a good bet to go into effect in 2026 when the two conferences gain even greater control over the playoff format.

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Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/big-ten-sec-leaders-discuss-college-football-playoff-changes-with-seeding-auto-bids-among-pressing-topics/

Author : John Talty

Publish date : 2025-02-19 22:45:00

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