01/18/26 03:22:00
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01/18 14:51 CST College football leaders debate playoff expansion ahead of
Friday deadline from ESPN
College football leaders debate playoff expansion ahead of Friday deadline from
ESPN
By EDDIE PELLS
AP National Writer
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) --- College football leaders gave every indication
Sunday that they remain stuck in a yearlong debate about expanding the playoff
from 12 teams to 16 or beyond.
Commissioners and school presidents met on the eve of the College Football
Playoff title game, facing a Friday deadline from ESPN --- the $7.8 billion
bankroller of the postseason --- to decide on changing or staying at the
current 12-team model.
The debate boils down to two conferences, the Big Ten and SEC, that both want
to expand but have widely different visions of how far expansion should go.
"I think that's up to two people," American Conference Commissioner Tim
Pernetti said.
He was speaking of Tony Petitti of the Big Ten and Greg Sankey of the SEC, who
did not reach any agreement during the last scheduled meeting before Friday's
deadline.
"Still more work to do," Pettiti said as he quickly made his way toward an
escalator at the Miami Beach hotel where the meeting was held. "One-hundred
percent, we're still working."
The Miami-Indiana final Monday night will mark the end of the current contract,
and a six-year deal worth $1.3 billion a year kicks in next season. Its
revenue-distribution model doles out more to the SEC and Big Ten than the
Atlantic Coast and Big 12, among the power conferences. Just as importantly, it
leaves the two biggest leagues squarely in charge of what comes next.
The SEC is pushing for an expansion to 16 teams, with an emphasis on at-large
bids --- a format favored by the other Power Four leagues and most of the
smaller conferences that are hoping for access into whatever comes next.
The Big Ten has pushed for a bracket of up to 24 teams with multiple automatic
qualifiers from each conference. It could do away with the need for conference
title games and replace them with seeding games to determine, say, two or three
of the automatic spots.
"It's a system that would keep a lot of teams in it, put some more value into
the regular season," Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson said in an
interview Saturday. "This is really about quality people coming together" to
make a decision.
If the commissioners can't agree on a new number, the tournament would
automatically stay at 12, with a deadline of Dec. 1, 2026, to make any changes
for the following season.
The only real news coming out of the weekend was a social media post from
President Donald Trump saying he would sign an executive order to give an
exclusive four-hour window to the Army-Navy game, which takes place the second
Saturday in December --- a date currently wedged between conference title games
and the start of the playoff.
A move to 16 or more games could put the playoff in conflict with the annual
meeting between service acadamies.
"This national event stands above Commercial Postseason Games," said Trump, who
will attend Monday night's final.
Mississippi State president Mark Keenum, the chair of the CFP board of
managers, tried to strike a tone of calm, not commiting to the idea that any
chance for compromise is dead.
"This was not a deadline day of any kind, so they're still talking, and we
anticipate the discussions will continue," Keenum said.
___
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