The College Football Playoff is still a relatively new concept, having just wrapped up its 10th season as the defined way to crown a national champion in America’s most beloved sport.
However, the 10th iteration of the playoff looked much different, with the field expanding to 12 teams, the first round being hosted on college campuses, and the first-ever inclusion of first-round byes.
It was certainly entertaining to watch, as the top four seeds all ended up being one-and-done, and the national championship game was between the eight-seed and the seven-seed.
However, that format—while successful—will undergo drastic changes after the 2025-26 season as the Big Ten and SEC are getting ready to implement their plans.
Last year, the two most powerful conferences in college athletics gave their fellow constituents an ultimatum—either abide by their rules or get left behind.
It ended in an agreement known as a memorandum of understanding (MOU), which is a non-binding agreement that clearly states the intentions and responsibilities of the involved parties. And, with everyone signing off on it, the two richest conferences in college athletics are now in control of future playoff formats.
“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,” Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports writes.
“The agreement grants the leagues decision-making powers over the format but directs them to have ‘meaningful consultation’ and collect ‘input’ from the other conferences before making their decision.“
According to Dellenger’s report, the Big Ten and SEC are planning several major changes to the College Football Playoff format and college football season, including:
- Expansion to a 14- or 16-team field
- Multiple automatic qualifiers per league
- A new schedule arrangement between conferences
- SEC playing a nine-game conference schedule
- An overhaul to the Power Four Conference Championship Weekend
If the field expands to 14 teams, Delleger says officials are looking at a 4-4-2-2-1+1 model, or in simpler terms:
- SEC (4 Auto-Bids)
- Big Ten (4 Auto-Bids)
- Big 12 (2 Auto-Bids)
- ACC (2 Auto-Bids)
- Group of Five (1 Auto-Bid)
- 1 At-Large Bid
In this format, the top two overall seeds would receive a first-round bye. In a 16-team structure, there would be no byes in the first round.
Of course, not everyone loves the idea of the SEC and Big Ten being in full control, and for good reason. It’s not likely that the new-look format will lean in favor of the Big 12, and any benefits to the league would likely pale in comparison to that of the SEC or Big Ten.
Dellenger reports that several Big 12 and ACC administrators are not in support of a format with so many automatic bids going to the SEC and Big Ten. Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark told Dellenger that he’s been exploring “predictive analysis” on what different playoff models would mean for conference participation if applied to recent playoff formats, adding he’ll be, “armed with data.”
It’s not likely to be a road without pitfalls and potholes, but it appears that the college football postseason is set to go through another reconstruction, and this time, it’ll be the self-proclaimed “big boys” calling the shots.
