Big Ten commissioner doubles down on extra automatic bids for College Football Playoff

Back in May, the CFP Management Committee announced that conference champions will no longer get an automatic first-round bye. Instead, the CFP will use straight seeding to slot the teams one through 12. 

The top five conference champions in the final CFP rankings will still earn a playoff spot. The four opening-round games will remain on campus with traditional bowl games hosting the quarterfinals and semifinals.

With further expansion likely coming to the CFP, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark and ACC commissioner Jim Phillips have proposed a “5+11” model with five automatic spots for conference champions and 11 at-large bids. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey is also in favor of a format with five automatic qualifiers. 

Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti supports a different format that would guarantee four automatic bids apiece for the Big Ten and SEC, two for the ACC and Big 12 and one for the Group of 5 with three at-large openings. Petitti told Yahoo Sports on Monday that he does not plan to back off his preferred format until the four power conferences agree to play the same number of games. 

The Big Ten and Big 12 play nine conference games while the ACC and SEC play eight. 

“It’s really simple math,” Petitti said on Tuesday at Big Ten media days. “With 18 schools and nine conference (games), we’re losing nine more games to start. At the end of the day, I think it’s really relevant. 

“So will we consider more at-larges? Right now, I think the first thing is to really understand what everybody is doing in their conference schedule. But there’s a second really critical part … which is what are we doing to get the selection process right? So I think those two things go hand in hand.” 

Petitti also spoke about the origins of the 12-team playoff and the powers granted to the Big Ten and SEC. 

“In the spring of 2024, member conferences came together to negotiate a media deal with ESPN,” he said. “Prior to concluding that deal, an agreement was reached that set forth revenue sharing from the College Football Playoff to the conferences and Notre Dame. 

“At the time, there was a lot of discussion about future formats and the number of teams in the playoff. A specific decision on format was not reached. Instead, it was agreed that the Big Ten and SEC would control changes to the CFP format — and the selection committee process — after considering feedback from the membership. Like the revenue share parameters, the Big Ten and SEC’s format control is set forth clearly in the agreement that all members signed. 

“With respect to format, the Big Ten has been consistent in its strong preference for a playoff system that allocates spots based on conference standings and the results of playing games. We want to better connect the regular season the postseason.”