The Big 10 and SEC fight went straight from the field to the college football playoff future. With executives meeting in South Florida ahead of the national championship game and the deadline looming on January 23, the debate on the 16-team and 24-team playoff formats becomes a major concern between the SEC and Big 10 conferences.

College football is heading towards an all-new transition that can change the entire playoff format dynamics. Behind the scenes, the Big Ten is pushing for a 24-team format but is willing to accept a temporary 16-team field if all parties commit to expanding to 24 teams in three years.

However, unlike the Big 10, other conferences, including the ACC, Big 12, and SEC, continue to back a 16-team “5+11” model that guarantees automatic bids to the five highest-ranked conference champions. Now, the drama between the SEC and the Big 10 is becoming a major roadblock in expansion plans, despite ESPN granting a deadline extension from December 1 to January 23.

The Big 10 proposed a 24-team playoff where only one automatic spot goes to the highest-ranked group of six champions. The other 23 teams would be picked strictly by the committee and rankings. The idea is to bring in more SEC support looking at the largely open field. Before this, they even discussed a 24-team format with four automatic qualifiers for each power conference, which was shared with FBS members. Something that ACC and Big 12 officials requested a long time back.

However, in the 16-team format, that was not the case, as four automatic qualifiers were for the Big 10 and SEC, whereas two were for the ACC and Big 12, which didn’t gain any momentum in the summer last year. For now, the Big Ten is open for discussions, as Commissioner Brett Yormark said in October that he is ready to work jointly for the 24-team field “if we’re on equal footing with our colleagues.” But SEC commissioner Greg isn’t the one who’s agreeing.

The Big Ten also made its case for the 24-team format by moving the Army vs. Navy game from the second Saturday in December to the first Saturday, which is traditionally reserved for conference championship games. This would start the 24-team playoff game from the following weekend on the second Friday or Saturday of December, freeing up the calendar.

For now, other conferences like the ACC are backing the 16-team format but are still open for consideration.

“We’re doing it collaboratively, and I have really enjoyed our conversations,” ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said to CBS Sports. “There’s no friction and people yelling at each other. It’s very professional and cordial, but it’s direct. We know college football is dependent on us to come up with something that makes sense.”

Now, a 16-team format might look simpler with less wear and tear on players. It’s easier to schedule with fewer TV rights conflicts. But it just guarantees automatic spots for top conference champions. On top of it, just like the 12-team playoffs, only a few teams will get a chance to enter the finals. Whereas the 24-team format will give more chances to teams with the same record to enter the playoffs, which became a major concern in the 2025 season.

Why expanding to 16 or 24 team format a necessity

The need for expanded playoffs comes from the rise of the transfer portal and NIL deals that have changed the entire landscape of college football. Teams can now rebuild and assemble competitive rosters, which narrows the gap between the top eight teams and the rest of the field. That’s exactly why both conferences are pushing for an expanded playoff system so that more teams get their shot.

More teams will be able to get into the finals, like BYU and Vanderbilt, who were competitive but couldn’t enter because of the competition. The 16-team playoffs, followed by 24, can be the solution for that. Even Steve Sarkisian emphasized that scheduling strong non-conference opponents should not punish and put them out of the race because of three losses.

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In those situations, a larger playoff would allow them to get a chance to compete. The same goes for Notre Dame, which had to sit out despite a 10-2 season just because there were no ACC teams in the playoffs and Miami got in. But here’s the thing: which format can actually help the teams? Well, a major advantage that the 24-team format brings in is an increase in home games, which gives 16 teams the chance to play on their campus in the first two rounds.

Teams seeded 1-8 get a first-round bye and host second-round games, while seeds 9-16 host opening-round games. Lower seeds 17-24 play on the road. This structure gives home-field advantage. The Big Ten is constantly trying to bring in the 24-team or 28-team format too, which even gained backing from Fox Sports head Eric Shanks.

This year, the 12-team format has already increased the revenue; going by that, even ESPN would like to extend its format. As it currently controls the entire thing, especially after their TV deal that runs through 2031.