There’s rumblings going on around the college football world about a possible change from a 12 team playoff to a 16 team playoff. More playoff games sounds like a huge win off the initial thought of this but there’s a few interesting notes that may go along with this. The end goal is to maximize the potential for the sport of college football and the fans so let’s deep dive into what’s being discussed.
The important details that would go with this goes as follows: 4 auto bids for the top 4 SEC and BIG10 conference, 2 auto bids for the top 2 ACC and BIG12 conferences, highest ranked group of five champion, and followed by the remaining spots going to at-large bids.
The initial reaction is the SEC and BIG10 are winners followed by the rest of the teams being losers. The SEC and BIG10 can more than 4+ teams make the playoff from their conferences which shows their dominance.
You can say those conferences are the most competitive from top to bottom compared to the other conferences but why does it have to be automatic bids? 16 teams is fun and great for the sport but let’s do it the right way with maybe auto bids for conference champions but not locked into the top 4 seeds and then grab the best of the rest regardless of conference.
Next thing to talk about is how much importance this takes away from the conference championship games and if it actually ends the conference championship game itself. Reason for this is due to adding extra potential games and the wear and tear on these athletes now playing X amount of more games.
This would also add more negotiations for the players aspect when it comes to their NIL contracts. Also, the teams participating in their championship games might not see any incentive getting more worn down only to know they are already in the CFP. This is very similar to college basketball and how the conference championship games don’t favor the higher seeds in the bigger conferences because they already have a good sense they will make March Madness. This might lead to just a regular season conference champion going forward due to the automatic bids coming into play.
This will get messy with other conferences such as the ACC and Big12. The phrase “big brother” will be brought up even more now than ever with the SEC and BIG10 getting 4 auto bids compared to their 2. Teams will be inclined to leaving those conferences for the SEC and BIG10 because of this.
This could lead to even more changes if enough teams leave to make 2 mega conferences. We saw such thing happen to the PAC12 and how teams didn’t feel like they had enough exposure being in that conference. The ACC and Big 12 don’t want the same thing to happen to their respected conferences. It seems like there’s a consensus that teams do prefer a 16 team playoff but the details that go with it will have to be discussed further.
In conclusion, nothing is a done deal yet but these are the options being discussed for 2026 and beyond. Changes definitely seem to be coming but in what capacity has remained to be seen. More meaningful football? Sign me up but at the right opportunity cost.