Mommy and Daddy are fighting again. Or, at least, they’re not operating in lockstep.
Excellent.
College Sports Inc. isn’t your typical family unit, where it’s better if parents get along.
When the SEC and Big Ten – the joint heads of college sports’ household – squabble, like they are now over the College Football Playoff’s future format, it offers a runway for a compromise solution to emerge. And compromise could result in a sensible playoff.
The SEC is the only conference powerful enough to check the Big Ten’s playoff-bending power, and vice versa.
Conference commissioners exited a Wednesday summit in North Carolina without aligning on a playoff format for 2026 and beyond. The Big Ten and SEC are not united behind the same format, with each exercising its checks-and-balance powers.
A few potential formats have surfaced, without consensus. That’s well enough, for now.
That we have no playoff format for 2026 yet means the two conference power brokers didn’t sync up and stampede their way to a rigged playoff that explicitly preassigns rewards to the “Super Two” conferences – though not for the Big Ten’s lack of trying.
The Big Ten favors a rigged 16-team playoff format that would preassign four automatic playoff bids to the Big Ten, four more to the SEC, two apiece to the ACC and Big 12, and one more auto bid remaining up for grabs for another conference champion, along with three at-large bids. This plan also could include play-in games to determine the automatic bids.
The ACC and Big 12 disavow this format that preemptively stacks the deck against them, but they carry water pistols. Only the SEC possesses the bazooka to fend off this format that would reward a conference’s preseason clout and prestige as much as in-season merit.
The SEC, at first, expressed openness to the Big Ten’s auto-bid idea, but support for the plan faded after the SEC’s coaches and athletic directors gathered in May for conference meetings, where they gained more information about formats under consideration.
By the time those SEC meetings ended, the mood within the conference seemed to shift in favor of a 5+11 playoff format that would more explicitly weight strength of schedule. This model would preserve auto bids for the top five conference champions and leave open 11 at-large bids.
The ACC and Big 12 also favor a 5+11 format.
So, what’s the issue?
Well, the Big Ten won’t submit to this plan – not just because it prefers a different postseason format, but because it reportedly would like the SEC to tweak its regular-season schedule.
The Big Ten and Big 12 play nine conference games. The SEC and ACC play eight.
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey wants a ninth conference game, but his membership feels squeamish about adding another conference game that would guarantee another loss for half its members. The conference insists its teams already endure an unparalleled gauntlet, and yet no conference plays more cupcake opponents than the SEC.
To that end, Illinois coach Bret Bielema cried foul and conveyed the Big Ten’s mood when he spoke to reporters this week at an event in Chicago.
“I don’t think there’s any way we could do a 16-team playoff if (the SEC) is not at nine (conference) games,” Bielema said.
If the Big Ten and SEC don’t align behind a playoff expansion format, the playoff could remain at 12 teams in 2026 and beyond, CFP executive director Rich Clark told reporters Wednesday.
Would that be so bad? The four-team playoff lasted for 10 years. I wouldn’t mind getting a second look at the 12-team playoff before ramrodding through another format.
Anyway, we haven’t even seen the 12-team playoff yet since commissioners tweaked the seeding rules earlier this year.
If playoff expansion occurs, I retain hope the conference infighting and checks-and-balances underway between the SEC and Big Ten will uncork a compromise that expands the playoff without rigging it, and also incentivizes teams to play tougher regular-season schedules, with fewer cupcake opponents.
What could a compromise look like?
∎ The SEC stands its ground on a 5+11 format that more explicitly weights schedule strength when determining at-large bids. The Big Ten accepts this format, if …
∎ The SEC agrees to add a ninth conference game, or otherwise requires members to play a minimum of 10 games against Power Four opponents. Currently, most SEC teams play nine games against Power Four competition, while most teams from the Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC play at least 10 opponents from that tier.
A Dec. 1 deadline looms to determine a 2026 format. If the Big Ten and SEC remain entrenched in their preferences, compromise could be the only path forward to a 16-team playoff.
A compromise that would expand and improve the postseason, while bolstering the regular-season schedule, would be well worth this offseason bickering between Mom and Pop.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.
