SEC, Big Ten Building Momentum for 16-Team Playoff Model That Further Tilts the Power

As the power struggle in college football continues to evolve, the SEC and Big Ten appear to be playing their next move—and it could reshape the College Football Playoff as we know it. According to a report from Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger, there’s growing momentum inside the sport’s two superconferences to expand the Playoff to 16 teams as early as 2026.

And this isn’t your typical expansion pitch. It’s an unapologetic, power-conference-driven format that leans heavily in favor of the two leagues that have already taken control of the sport.

What the Proposed Model Looks Like

The current 12-team playoff format has just one year under its belt, but leaders from the SEC and Big Ten are already starting to look at adding to the format again, with the most popular 16-team format being:

• 4 automatic bids for the SEC
• 4 automatic bids for the Big Ten
• 2 each for the ACC and Big 12
• 1 Group of Five auto-bid
• 3 at-large bids selected by the committee

In addition, the format includes intra-conference play-in games within each league—where the third-place team would face the sixth-place team, and the fourth-place team would face the fifth—in effect creating quarterfinal-like matchups before the playoff even begins.

That’s not just expansion — that’s changing the entire structure of college football as we know it.

What’s Driving This?

Thanks to a recent “Godfather deal” that leveraged media rights and revenue consolidation, the Big Ten and SEC already control a disproportionate share of college football’s financial future.

With this playoff model, they’d be taking things a step further, guaranteeing themselves half of the CFP field before selection day even arrives.

It’s not hard to see why they want this. More access. More money. More inventory for networks to bid on. And ultimately, more control over the national title conversation.

The current 12-team format was negotiated under the old CFP contract, with equal representation and shared governance for all conferences. But starting in 2026, the new CFP deal opens the door for the SEC and Big Ten to flex their muscle—and they’re wasting no time doing so.

What It Means for the Big 12

For the Big 12, this proposed model is a double-edged sword.

On the one hand, securing two guaranteed playoff spots would be a massive win for the league and its long-term stability, especially in an era when playoff access equates to relevance.

However, the structure also reinforces the idea that the Big 12 (and ACC) are firmly positioned in the second tier of college football power, with no real path to level the playing field financially or politically. If the SEC and Big Ten can rewrite the playoff format around themselves, what else can they change?

The silver lining? The play-in game structure offers some added intrigue—and, more importantly, a backdoor path to sneak in more than two teams if the league has a strong year. But those windows are narrow, and the competition to claim those three at-large spots will be fierce.

The Big Picture

The push for 16 teams is no longer theoretical. According to Dellenger’s report, CFP leaders are set to begin formal discussions about future formats as early as this summer. If the SEC and Big Ten stay aligned—and so far, they have—it’s hard to imagine a scenario where they don’t get their way.

The playoff is expanding. The question is how far—and how fast—the rest of the sport is willing to follow.