SEC, Big Ten pushing for College Football Playoff expansion in 2026

The SEC and Big Ten are reportedly leading a push for another round of College Football Playoff expansion. Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports authored a lengthy report on the matter.

SEC and Big Ten athletic directors are set to meet Wednesday in New Orleans, per Dellenger. If the SEC and B1G leave that meeting aligned, the conference leaders could push for major changes at the CFP Management Committee on Feb. 25 in Dallas.

Dellenger’s report dives into potential 14- and 16-team CFP models. In either model, the SEC and B1G would each have 4 automatic qualifiers. The ACC and Big 12 would get 2 teams each. The top Group of 5 team would also still be included. It comes down to whether there would be 1 or 3 at-large spots. Notre Dame would reportedly receive a guaranteed bid with a top-14 finish.

All eyes are on 2026 for CFP expansion, as that is when the new ESPN contract comes into play.

The 14 or 16-team model – 4 AQs each to B1G/SEC; 2 to ACC/B12; 1 G5; 1 or 3 at-large – aligns mostly with conference strength over the last 11 years of the CFP.

Conference teams (considering realignment) in the top 14/16 of penultimate CFP rankings from 2014-25: pic.twitter.com/OjUhStcQGU

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) February 17, 2025

Andrew Olson

Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.