Future of the College Football Playoff: Analyzing Big Ten, SEC Power Grab

The SEC and Big Ten are the most powerful and lucrative conferences in college football. And if those leagues get their way, they will hold even more sway throughout the sport. 

The two conferences held meetings in New Orleans this week to discuss the future of the College Football Playoff and a potential Big Ten-SEC scheduling event. With playoff changes potentially coming for 2025 and again in ’26, the postseason will be heavily shaped by what the Big Ten and SEC decide.

In addition to a potential package of games featuring nonconference matchups between the two leagues, another discussion point in this offseason summit is a shift by the SEC to nine conference games. 

On this week’s episode of “Athlon U: The College Football Podcast,” Braden Gall and Steven Lassan discuss the latest news on the Big Ten and SEC power grab and the future of the College Football Playoff:

• The SEC and Big Ten meet in New Orleans to potentially make major changes to College Football Playoff (3:15)

• How many teams will be in the playoff in the future? (5:05)

• Why other conferences won't have much say in the format (6:20) 

• The 2030s could be another period of major change for college football (7:15)

• Change is coming in 2026 to the playoff (8:32)

• Should the playoff expand to 14 or 16 teams? (10:56) 

• Why a crowded calendar and the drawbacks of 14- and 16-team expansion need to be considered (13:13)

• Expansion to 14 or 16 teams would devalue College Football Playoff committee rankings (18:24)

• What are the positives of an expanded playoff? (19:00) 

• What is the future of conference championship games? (27:25)

• Does expansion lead the SEC to nine conference games? (28:55)

• What should Big Ten and SEC do if scheduling comes together? (37:20)

• How to schedule for a full day of Big Ten and SEC games (37:45)

• What could be creative about the Big Ten-SEC challenge when planning for revenue? (39:28)

• Week Zero opportunities (42:00)

• How do we solve scheduling in college football? (48:58)

• How seedings create drama in the College Football Playoff (52:00)

•  Is Arch Manning one of the most hyped players prior to his first full year of starting? (1:02:15)