Big Ten Backs 24-Team CFP, Threatens to Keep 12 if SEC Rejects It
Updated
Updated · ESPN · May 20
Big Ten Backs 24-Team CFP, Threatens to Keep 12 if SEC Rejects It
8 articles · Updated · ESPN · May 20
Tony Petitti said the Big Ten will give a “hard no” to a 16-team College Football Playoff and keep the current 12-team format if the SEC will not support 24 teams for 2027 and beyond.
A 24-team field, Petitti argued, preserves access and regular-season stakes by giving teams seeded 1-8 a bye and home game while keeping schools from roughly 16th to 24th fighting for bids and hosting rights.
Petitti said a 16-team bracket fails economically and on scheduling, because dropping conference title games would cost the Power 4 more than $200 million in revenue without enough new playoff inventory to offset it.
The standoff now turns to next week’s SEC meetings, where Greg Sankey and league presidents still favor 16 teams, though some SEC coaches and athletic directors have backed 24.
Petitti said a 24-team format could be ready by 2027 if the SEC agrees, while a prior Big Ten compromise to start at 16 and later move to 24 has faded.
Is the playoff expansion stalemate really about team numbers, or a power play for a future college football super league?
With media partners divided and $250M at stake, can the playoff expansion plan overcome its financial chaos before the December deadline?