A general overall view of the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship logo at Mercedez-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Big Ten, SEC Still Disagree on Future of College Football Playoff

Originally posted on Penn State Nittany Lions on SI
By Mark Wogenrich | Last updated Jul 14, 2025 4:00 PM ET

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey delivered an intriguing aside Monday at the SEC Football Media Days regarding the future of the College Football Playoff. With the SEC and Big Ten yet to agree on expansion terms, Sankey said that the 12-team format could remain beyond the 2026 season.

"We had a different view coming out of [the SEC spring meetings] around the notion of allocations, if you will, and I think you'll probably hear that again from our coaches," Sankey rold reporters in Atlanta. "The Big Ten has a different view. That's fine. We have a 12-team playoff, five conference champions. That could stay if we can't agree."

That last line is the key to CFP negotiations for an expanded playoff system to include at least 14 teams and likely 16. The Big Ten and SEC bring different playoff formats to the negotiating table. Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti wants an expanded playoff format to include automatic qualifiers, likely four each for the Big Ten and SEC.

Following their spring meetings in Florida, though, SEC coaches pitched a 16-team playoff format that included five conference champions and 11 at-large teams. The Big Ten is pushing back on this proposal, partly because of the disparity between conference football schedules. Big Ten teams play nine conference game; SEC teams play eight.

"I think there's this notion that there has to be this magic moment and something has to happen with [playoff] expansion and it has to be forced, no," Sankey said in Atlanta. "I think, when you're given authority, you want to be responsible in using that authority. I think both of us [Sankey and Petitti] are prepared to do so.

"The up-front responsibility in this, maybe where some of the confusion lies, is we have the ability to present a format or format ideas, gather information, see if we can all agree within that room. We don't need unanimity. Ultimately, if not, there's a level of authority granted to the Big Ten and the SEC together, but there's a lot to that. It's not you just show up and pound your fist and something happens. I hope that that type of narrative can be reduced, but we'll keep talking. We all talk a lot. Probably too much sometimes, right?"

“I don’t believe there’s anyone looking to swap their conference schedule and its opponents with the opponents played by Southeastern Conference teams in our conference schedule — be it 8 or 9 (games).”

Greg Sankey discussed the SEC’s ongoing discussion over league scheduling. pic.twitter.com/vSkadg5D9I
— Josh Ward (@Josh_Ward) July 14, 2025

Sankey re-addressed the eight-game SEC scheduled Monday with similar points he made at the conference's spring meetings in Florida. Namely that SEC teams qualtifiably, to Sankey, play a more difficult overall schedule than teams from other conferences.

"I don't believe there's anyone looking to swap their conference schedule and its opponents with the opponents played by SEC Conference teams in our conference schedule, be it eight or nine," Sankey said in Atlanta. I handed out a bunch of stats that created a stir in Destin that showed there is a rigor here that is unique. In the SEC we're not lacking for quality competition among our 16 football teams, but we're going to continue to evaluate whether increasing the number of conference football games is appropriate for us.

"As I've said repeatedly, understanding how the CFP will evaluate strength of schedule and even strength of record is critically important in our decision-making."

Penn State football coach James Franklin has been a critic of the scheduling disparity between the Big Ten and SEC, which he said creates an imbalance between the two major conferences. And that will continue to impact future playoff formats, Franklin said.

"When you have some conferences playing nine games, some conferences playing a conference championship, some teams not in a conference, it makes it really difficult," Franklin said in June. "Then the other issue you’ve had in the past is, every conference, and every team, or every [athletic director] would have the same vote. If we have more teams in our conference now, and have a greater level of competition week in and week out, why should it be balanced? I think that is the discussion everybody’s kind of having."

This article first appeared on Penn State Nittany Lions on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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