UPDATE: Is Relationship Between SEC And Big Ten Hitting A Roadblock? CFP Format Debate Has Led To Dissension

Commissioners on the college football playoff committee are starting to realize that putting together a 16-team format for the 2026 season is becoming a lot harder than expected, if the conversations coming out of SEC meetings a few weeks ago weren't an easy enough indicator. 

When coaches and athletic directors from the SEC met in Destin for their annual meetings, there were whispers before the event even started that there was going to be dissension in the conference rooms when discussing what the playoff format could look like, come 2026. 

The obvious thinking was that there would be an increase in teams, from 12 to 16, but how they got to that point, along with how many automatic qualifiers each conference would get, was going to be a discussion that needed to continue over the coming months. 

CFP chair Rich Clark told reporters who were gathered in Asheville, North Carolina that they hope to have a decision on the playoff format by the Fall. 

"The format could be a lot different in 2026 or it could be the same," Clark told reporters, according to Heather Dinich. 

Clark also mentioned that both the SEC and Big Ten are obligated to come to some sort of agreement,  being that they have a majority of control. 

This news on Wednesday comes at a time when commissioners were looking to lock down a format that would start in 2026, but right now there is a sense of urgency that we haven't seen before, for plenty of different reasons. Now, with all sides looking to get on the same page, it comes during a time when the clock is now ticking. 

SEC CFB Playoff Proposal Blasted For Ruining Regular Season

Even with CFP chair Rich Clark mentioning that they'd like to have a decision made by the fall, this could easily go into the middle of the season, especially if they are trying to receive additional revenue from ESPN for potential play-in games that would take the place of ‘championship weekend’. 

Simply put, the Big Ten and SEC are at an impasse that is going to take some finagling, and even that might not work in the longterm. 

While there was plenty of talk about the ‘4-4-2-2-1’ model heading into those meetings, the ACC and Big 12 were pushing the ‘5+11’ format, which would have 11 teams fighting for at-large spots, with one automatic qualifier for each conference. But, there was a shift in the tone from coaches as they answered questions from media members in attendance. 

It was as if the coaches decided to go their own way, with plenty of them pushing for the best 16 teams to make the playoff, without the extra automatic bids handed out to the Big Ten and SEC. Ole Miss coach Lane Kifin was a supporter of the model that would prevent the SEC from receiving four automatic bids, while coaches from the Big Ten were also at a perceived impasse on how many bids each conference should receive. 

Illinois Coach Brett Bielema Points Out A Difference In Opinions With SEC-Big Ten

On Tuesday night, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema spoke with reporters before an event in Chicago, where he pointed out that both the SEC and Big Ten should be on the same page when it comes to the number of conference games played each year. 

"We voted unanimously as Big Ten coaches to stay at nine league games and actually maybe have an SEC challenge," Brett Bielema told reporters. "I was told that they voted unanimously to stay at eight and not play the Big Ten. But then some people pop off and say what they want to say because they want to look a certain way.

"I get it, but like, I think until you get to nine for everybody, I don't think it could work."

So, what happened to that Big Ten-SEC alliance that was seemingly bullet-proof over the past year? 

In reality, there was a different mindset between the SEC and Big Ten, who've been tied to the hip recently, with two different ‘joint meetings’ over the past eight months. While commissioner Greg Sankey was pushing the strength of schedule argument for his conference, Tony Petitti wasn’t saying much at all, at least not publicly.  

The Big Ten And SEC Want To Regroup? ACC, Big 12 Could End Up Looking Good

As the Big Ten and SEC try to decide what they'd like to do moving forward, others have made their point very clear. 

All the while, Brett Yormark from the Big 12 and Jim Phillips from the ACC were letting it be known to anyone who would listen that they were in agreement with a ‘5+11’ model. Clearly, this would put the pressure on both conferences to perform, and take away two automatic bids that they would receive annually, but it was obvious with some of their comments that they were willing to ‘fight’ for their spot in the playoff. 

So, fast-forward to this week in North Carolina, where all 10 commissioners met in-person for this first time in months, not being able to mute each other over a Zoom call, and the conversations seemed to hit another roadblock. 

Even with CFP chair Rich Clark discussing how the committee could calibrate the strength of schedule metrics, it still comes down to how the folks sitting in the room on a weekly basis during the college football season viewed each team. 

It's pretty hard to take the human factor out of these decisions, no matter how many different metrics you want to throw at the discussion. For that reason, it was clear that this discussion over the playoff format starting in 2026 was going to take additional time to decide on. 

When Greg Sankey pointed out towards the end of SEC meetings that the deadline for a decision to be made on the format was December 1, there weren't many folks thinking we could get near the start of the season without a plan for 2026. 

But, here we are, with the reset button seemingly smashed while commissioners sat around conference tables at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina this week. 

Even if they won't publicly say it, there are plenty of people around college athletics who did not expect the SEC and Big Ten being the ones at perceived odds over what the future would look like.