SEC, Big Ten Near Standstill Over College Football Playoff Format

Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey revealed that despite frequent discussions with Big Ten counterpart Tony Petitti, the two leagues have not reached an agreement on the College Football Playoff (CFP) format beyond the upcoming season and might maintain the current 12-team system. The core disagreement revolves around the allocation of playoff bids: the Big Ten supports a 4-4-2-2-1 structure with equal automatic bids for the SEC and Big Ten and fewer for other conferences, while the SEC now prefers five conference champions and 11 at-large bids, favoring top conferences in most seasons. The CFP recently announced that playoff seedings will strictly follow team rankings rather than adjusting to reward conference champions, which previously caused inconsistencies in byes and seedings. Although the CFP contract from 2026 to 2031 mandates consultation with other leagues on playoff changes, it ultimately allows the SEC and Big Ten to impose their preferred format if they agree. Sankey emphasized the need for consensus between the two conferences to finalize the playoff structure, indicating that no immediate resolution is expected. The ongoing debate highlights the challenge of balancing competitive fairness and representation among power conferences in college football's postseason.