Postscripts: Big 12’s Best Playoff Path May Be SEC-Big Ten Disagreement

What’s going on in the Big 12 and beyond? I expand and explain every Sunday in Postscripts at Heartland College Sports, your home for independent Big 12 coverage.

This week, there is daylight between the SEC and the Big Ten when it comes to the College Football Playoff’s future. Does that help the Big 12?

DAYLIGHT OR TACTIC?

SEC media days were this week, and much of the talk outside of football was about the College Football Playoff, as in, we don’t have an agreed-upon format for 2026 and beyond.

At Big 12 media days, commissioner Brett Yormark doubled down, as he loves to say, on the 5+11 format for a 16-team playoff. He believes this is the fairest format for all. He says ACC commissioner Jim Phillips agrees. We’ll find out this week at ACC media days.

So that left SEC commissioner Greg Sankey to answer questions about the 5+11 format. Much of the thought around Sankey is that he’s staunchly in the 4+4+2+2+1+whatever else format that has been out there much of the last year. In that format, the SEC and the Big Ten would each get four automatic bids, while the Big 12 and ACC would get two each.

The belief was that Sankey and Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti are of the same mind when it comes to the format. Some daylight emerged during the SEC’s annual meetings in Destin, Fla., at the end of May. SEC coaches indicated they liked the 5+11 format. Sankey hinted he was open to it because his coaches were open to it.

During his address at SEC media days, he acknowledged that it isn’t just a little daylight.

“The Big Ten has a different view,” Sankey said. “That’s fine. We have a 12-team playoff, with five conference champions. That can stay if we can’t agree.”

So, the question must be asked. Is this Sankey reading the room, listening to his coaches, and moving the way the wind is blowing? Or is he posturing? It’s a critical question.

The much-discussed memorandum of understanding regarding the playoff does give the Big Ten and SEC enhanced authority over the format for 2026 and beyond. Yormark said last week that the Big Ten and the SEC didn’t give the two leagues sole authority over the decision. Sankey said the MOU gives the two conferences the “bulk of the authority,” per ESPN.

However you want to look at it, those two leagues are driving the bus. It now appears there is some disagreement between Sankey and Petitti over the format. In Sankey’s mind, it’s a friendly disagreement.

We’ll find out what Petitti thinks next week when the Big Ten has its media days in Las Vegas.

How does this impact the Big 12? Well, if it stays at 12 teams, there is little impact. The access remains the same. If you’re Yormark, you’re working Sankey hard, knowing that he appears to be satisfied — at least publicly — with staying at the current format. That’s good for the league. What Yormark doesn’t want is the 4+4. He’s adamantly opposed to it. So is Phillips. Anything Yormark can do to keep Sankey on the 5+11 is good for the Big 12.

So, if you’re the Big 12, the more disagreement between Sankey and Petitti, the better.

WANNA SEE SOME BLING?

Arizona State released images of its Big 12 championship rings and, well, wow. Just, wow.