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A detailed view of the College Football Playoff logo. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Big Ten details controversial 24-team College Football Playoff plan

By Daniel Morrison | Last updated Feb 13, 2026 1:57 PM ET

The College Football Playoff is less than a month removed from its second year at 12 teams, but major changes are once again on the horizon. That includes a push to expand the size of the field once again.

What the two most powerful conferences, the SEC and Big Ten, can't seem to agree on is just how large to make the CFP. The SEC stands firm at 16 teams. Meanwhile, the Big Ten reportedly wants to go to a 24-team field.

Now, ESPN's Pete Thamel has reported on just what the Big Ten's proposal would look like. That's based on an internal document that has been circulating.

What does the Big Ten's proposal look like?

The Big Ten's proposal would immediately double the size of the College Football Playoff field. That's six times larger than the original four-team size that was played as recently as the 2023 season.

With that, the entire postseason structure would be shaken. Conference championships would be eliminated and an additional week of games would be added to campus.

NEW: An internal Big Ten document explores a 24-team College Football Playoff. It offers a peek at what that model could look like, as another off-season of CFP discussion is set to unfold. Details here: https://t.co/on2sqej1H8 pic.twitter.com/j6twmdqyFp
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 13, 2026

The document sets out a timeline for the expansion. The field would hypothetically expand to 16 teams in 2027 and 2028, before growing to 24 teams no later than 2029. That would then run through the end of the current CFP contract, which expires following the 2031 season.

This model also calls for a 23+1 seeding model. In other words, the 23 highest-ranked teams would make the field, along with the top-ranked Group of Six Champion. For this past season, that would mean that seven SEC teams, six Big Ten, five Big 12, three ACC, two Group of Six teams and Notre Dame would have made the field.

This all comes at a time when pressure is mounting on athletic departments. More teams making the CFP field means higher expectations around the country. On top of that, the added games could prove vital as a source of revenue.

The 24-team CFP is far from a done deal

The SEC and Big Ten are effectively in control of the College Football Playoff at this point. The fact that the SEC is committed to 16 teams and the Big Ten wants to see expansion to 24 means that this has come to a stalemate for the time being.

There had been some desire to expand ahead of the 2026 season. However, the two sides weren't able to reach an agreement, meaning the CFP is set to stay at 12 teams for a third season in 2026. Despite that, the Big Ten internal document is using the term "24 team CFP Format Compromise."

On top of that, a lot of fans are apprehensive about moving to 24 teams. After all, the teams that would have made the field with this format a season ago include an Iowa team that went 8-4 and several 9-3 teams. Those records making the field seem to lessen the regular-season success needed to make a national-championship run.

For the time being, no changes are coming. That won't change until either the SEC or Big Ten has a change of heart on formatting.

Daniel Morrison

Dan Morrison is a writer originally from Massachusetts, now residing in Florida. He spent four years at On3, working on the National News Desk there. Prior to that, he’s also contributed at Underdog Dynasty.

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