Big Ten Floats 24-Or-24 Team CFP, Which Is Essentially A March Madness Knockoff

Let’s just turn the College Football Playoff into a tournament that resembles March Madness. That is the most logical plan now for the sport, since nobody can seem to agree on what the format should look like moving forward following this season, right?

Over the past few weeks, Big Ten administrators and commissioner Tony Petitti started discussing the idea of turning the college football playoff into a 24-or 28-team tournament that would crown a national champion. No, I’m not joining, as league administrators have discussed this format multiple times recently, though it’s in the very, very, early stages of conversation. 

This idea was formally discussed further this past week between Big Ten administrators, while officials commissioners from the SEC and Big Ten have at least broached the topic. To be clear, this idea is in the beginning stages, with broader discussions set to happen, though there are plenty of athletic directors across the sport still trying to wrap their heads around the ‘idea’. 

If you remember what transpired this past spring, none of this should come as a massive shock following SEC Spring meetings in late May. 

What was once considered a popular format, the 4-4-2-2-1-3 model, ran into a brick wall when coaches from the SEC came out against the idea, which was seemingly going against what their presidents and athletic directors had already been discussing for quite some time. 

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All the while, commissioners from the Big 12 and ACC were for the 5+11 model that garnered support from SEC coaches who wanted to see the best teams in the sport fight for the remaining eleven at-large bids. The overwhelming favorite for anyone outside the Big Ten, the 5+11 model would be the go-to, if it weren’t for the Big Ten and SEC sharing a majority of the voting power that will decide what the playoff format will look like in 2026 and beyond. 

But, just one week before the college football season begins with an appetizer weekend, the Big Ten decided it was time to float the idea of changing the landscape even further with the ‘idea’ of possibly going with 24 or 28 teams in the new format. 

This would allow the CFP to hold twenty games during the postseason on college campuses. 

At the moment, all sides are trying to come to an agreement on what college football will look like in the future, with a deadline looking from television partner ESPN for how many teams will be participating in the playoff come 2026. 

And while many will agree that the postseason bowl system is dead in the water, especially in this new era of college athletics with revenue-sharing and NIL, there has to be a better solution than just jumping the shark with potentially fourteen additional teams in the very near future. 

SEC athletic directors will meet this week for their regualry scheduled gathering, where the topic of conversation will be the playoff format, along with another discussion on eight or nine game conference schedules. 

Would Having 24 Or 28 Teams In The College Football Playoff Make Sense? 

On the one hand, there would be plenty of fan bases that are still engaged with their teams come November, even if they have already dropped three games. Sure, I agree that the potential for that many extra teams will also help television ratings as we come down the stretch towards playoff football. 

But on the other hand, are we really going to say, with a straight face, that there are seven teams from both the Big Ten and SEC that are worthy of an automatic bid? Come on, we’d have teams with five losses in the postseason, judging by win-loss records over the last few seasons in both conferences. 

NCAA punishes Michigan over the Connor Stallions investigation. Wolverines are celebrating inside the athletic complex today, while NCAA’s COI can now go away.

And, you’re telling me that there are five teams from both the Big 12 and ACC that are worthy of being national champions, with five automatic bids? For some of these administrators, they have got to stop letting money dictate every decision that is made in this sport. If not, you’re going to lose the enthusiasm around games that take place in September or October. 

So your favorite team has already dropped three games by the third weekend of October, but knowing that they could still actually make the playoff with four losses is intriguing enough to keep you engaged. How far does the sport have to fall before someone decides that these types of conversations are turning this sport into a laughing stock? 

In reality, there are not 24 teams that are worthy enough to fight for a title. This is like saying the 24th team in the AP poll is going to make the playoff, even though they will have to traverse through a gauntlet for the opportunity to play in late January. 

Right now, conference commissioners are noticing the upcoming deadline to decide on what 2026 will look like, and throwing out ideas that they hope will at least stick to the wall enough for a lengthy conversation. 

Actual college football games cannot get here fast enough, given that we’ve spent the past eight months bickering over how many teams should be invited to the playoff starting in 2026. I guess we’ll spend the entire season having side-bar discussions on the CFP, given that leaders cannot make up their minds on how they want to proceed. 

But, when it comes to money, we all know how much attention that garners for universites across the country. So, don’t tell me that any of this is for the good of college football, fans have had enough wool pulled over their heads lately. 

Let me know what you think about the CFP format discussion. Email me at Trey.Wallace@OutKick.com