In June, commissioners of the four largest conferences in NCAA college football met in North Carolina to discuss the annual postseason playoff format. After two days of closed-door negotiations, commissioners left empty-handed.
The College Football Playoff is a relatively new concept. From 2014 to 2023, the playoffs operated under a four-team invitational knockout bracket. A selection committee, composed of coaches, media and athletic directors, decided which teams would participate. After years of controversy, it became clear that four teams was not enough to determine a “national champion,” and in 2024 the NCAA announced the change to the current 12-team format, with some key differences. Among those changes is the automatic bid system. Under the current format, the four conferences with eight or more teams (SEC, BIG 12, BIG 10, ACC) receive an automatic bid for their conference champions. Those conference champions receive a bye in the first round of the playoffs, while the other eight teams are seeded to play each other in that round. This playoff format was mostly a success. The committee’s selection of the eight non-conference champion teams followed general consensus postseason rankings, and Ohio State’s dominant playoff run proved that they were (probably) the best team in the country. But smaller problems still remained — non-playoff bowl games were rendered pointless, and strength of schedule became a contentious point.
At the core of new negotiations are the competing demands of the two biggest conferences: the SEC (16 teams) and the BIG 10 (18 teams). Both dominate the sport. In the AP’s postseason rankings, BIG 10 teams occupy four of the top ten spots, while the SEC has three. They also have lucrative, unmatched media deals, which provide them with more money and negotiating power. Recent conference realignments have only exacerbated this gap.
However, the two conferences are divided on the future of the playoffs. For months, the BIG 10 has maintained that both they and the SEC should receive four automatic bids in a 16-team playoff. The ACC and BIG 12 would each receive two, with one auto bid for another conference champion. The last three spots would be at-large bids. Critics of this format argue that it prefers predetermined conference strength versus actual season performance. This convoluted playoff scheme was originally preferred by the SEC, until the SEC’s annual conference meeting. Now, the SEC prefers the more popular 5+11 format, which maintains the structure of the current playoffs (one conference champion auto-bid, rest at-large). This 5+11 format is the ACC and BIG12’s vote as well.
So, what’s the issue? The BIG 10 is against this plan. Currently, SEC members (and the ACC) play eight conference games (as opposed to the BIG 10’s nine), allowing them to play an easier opponent for an extra win. The BIG 10 maintains that this puts them at a disadvantage when it comes to at-large bids, as the first eliminator is win/loss percentage. But the SEC is reluctant to add an extra conference game, as it would guarantee half of their teams an added loss. This disagreement has led to a standstill as commissioners go back to the drawing board.
For dedicated Tech football fans, these negotiations won’t have an immediate impact on our upcoming football season. The ACC will have voting power in these negotiations, and it’s looking increasingly likely that the 5+11 format will be adopted. If anything, the expanded field will give Tech a better chance of making it to the playoffs, with the help of one or two upsets. Tech’s impressive recruiting class and new staff should make that a bit easier.
It’s unclear if commissioners will meet again to discuss these plans. Despite this uncertainty, some argue that disagreement between the two conferences is better for the sport as a whole, as their combined negotiating power would be too hard to combat. Nevertheless, a new format cannot be adopted unless both conferences agree. Regardless of whether commissioners reach a decision, the 25-26 playoff will proceed with the current 12-team format. Still, even if no changes are made for the future, sticking with the existing structure may not be the biggest loss.