College Football Playoff: Update emerges on potential changes to format after major meeting

During Tuesday’s College Football Playoff meeting, conference commissioners discussed multiple models, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips told reporters. They mentioned 12-team, 14-team and 16-team formats, but no decisions were officially made for 2025 or 2026.

The commissioners in attendance, including the SEC’s Greg Sankey and Big Ten’s Tony Petitti, worked through various scenarios about how the 2024 CFP would have looked under different models. That discussion included potential seeding changes for next year.

However, those in attendance ultimately decided more information was necessary before making a decision. The next College Football Playoff meeting is set for March.

As it pertains to seeding changes next year, the group went through various scenarios of how things would have played out in 2024 with different models. Still need more information before they make a decision. They’ll meet again in March.

— Ari Wasserman (@AriWasserman) February 25, 2025

Conversations about potential changes to the College Football Playoff picked up steam the last few weeks, notably after the Big Ten and SEC met in New Orleans last week. The two sides are leading the charge when it comes to the future of the CFP, and Yahoo! Sports’ Ross Dellenger reported they control the power over future expansion. Neither Sankey nor Petitti spoke with reporters Tuesday.

One of the Big Ten and SEC’s reported ideas includes automatic bids in the field for both conferences. CFP executive director Rich Clark told reporters Tuesday no such proposal was made for the 2026 season, but automatic qualifiers came up during the discussion.

Any potential changes to the College Football Playoff for the 2025-26 season have to be unanimous. That marks the final year of the CFP’s media deal with ESPN before an extension begins.

SEC, Big Ten discussed College Football Playoff last week

Over those two days they spent in New Orleans last week, officials from the SEC and Big Ten discussed multiple topics about the state of college football. That includes the future of the College Football Playoff, although Greg Sankey kept specifics close to the vest while speaking with reporters afterward.

The CFP’s current media deal with ESPN expires in 2026, and Sankey declined to discuss particulars with what he would like to see its future look like. However, he and Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti confirmed they would like “straight seeding” that mirrors the College Football Playoff committee ranking while still guaranteeing spots for five champs, according to ESPN’s Heather Dinich.

Under the current 12-team format, the four highest-ranked conference champions receive byes through the first round of the College Football Playoff. As a result, No. 9-ranked Boise State was the No. 3 seed and No. 12-ranked Arizona State was the No. 4 seed.