New college football playoff formats of 20-plus teams are being explored by leaders in the Big Ten, and perhaps the SEC too.
Big Ten executives are socializing 24 and 28-team College Football Playoff brackets that feature as many as seven automatic qualifiers each for the Big Ten and SEC, five each for the Big 12 and ACC, two for the best Group of 6 programs and two at-large selections. Those briefed on the idea, most of them leading administrators in the Big Ten, spoke to Yahoo Sports under condition of anonymity about the so-called “7-7-5-5-2-2” model.
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Those with knowledge of the discussions caution that the concept is in the infancy stage of development and may undergo significant changes or be dismissed entirely once introduced to the full CFP group. For now, it remains a talking point within the two leagues that control decision making over the future CFP format beyond this year.
One high-level source described it as a “barely baked idea” and emphasized that it is in no way certain to gain approval any time soon. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey held a preliminary call to exchange thoughts on the idea on Friday.
The concept, if implemented, could trigger massive change, both in the historic nature of how regular season games are scheduled and the annual season-ending conference championship games. League title games, made more irrelevant in the expanded playoff era, may be eliminated as a requirement in scheduling the five rounds of the playoff — something administrators have openly acknowledged in the past.
Specific rules of the concept are not necessarily solidified, but, presumably, the format will allow for the top four seeds to receive a first-round bye. Currently, the CFP selection committee seeds the teams based on the group’s rankings. Conferences…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football/article/college-football-playoff-big-ten-floats-24-plus-team-format-164826230.html
Author : Ross Dellenger
Publish date : 2025-08-16 16:48:00
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