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The commissioners of the Big Ten and Big 12 couldn’t be farther apart on what they think is best for the future of the College Football Playoff.
With a Dec. 1 deadline looming to decide on the structure of an expanded, 16-team format in 2026, CFP leaders appear to remain divided.
Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark, speaking at the conference’s football media days on Tuesday, said he is “doubling down” on the proposed 5+11 CFP format, which would include automatic spots for the 5 highest-ranked conference champions and 11 at-large bids.
Just last week, Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti criticized that format, instead voicing his support for a format that would give the Big Ten and SEC four automatic spots each. Petitti specifically mentioned his concern with giving the CFP selection committee extra responsibilities. “If you go to 16, and you have 11 at-large, you just added even more decision-making,” he said on The Joel Klatt Show.
Creating more automatic qualifiers would make the CFP more like the NFL playoffs, but Yormark doesn’t think that’s necessary. “We do not need a professional model because we are not the NFL,” he said. “We are college football, and we must act like it.”
Conference Call
The 5+11 model has previously also received strong support from ACC commissioner Jim Phillips, and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has given it life, too. Sankey will speak at next week’s SEC media days, so what he has to say on the matter then will be important.
Decision-making power of the CFP in 2026 is shifting to the SEC and Big Ten, which combined will have the majority of control. For that reason, it would seem important that those two conferences be aligned on the CFP’s future format.
