All articles tagged with #automatic qualifiers
The Big Ten and SEC are at an impasse over college football playoff expansion, with the Big Ten favoring a larger 24-28 team format with more automatic qualifiers, while the SEC prefers a 16-team playoff with fewer automatic bids. The deadline for decision-making is December 1, and without consensus, the current 12-team format is likely to remain for the 2026 season.
Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz advocates for a playoff system with automatic qualifiers for the SEC and Big Ten, favoring a 16-team field and eliminating the selection committee, arguing it would be more fair and straightforward than the current or other proposed models.
Ohio State coach Ryan Day advocates for at least four automatic qualifiers for the Big Ten in the expanded College Football Playoff, emphasizing the conference's strength and the need for more automatic bids to incentivize strong non-conference scheduling and address season length concerns.
The future format of the College Football Playoff is under debate, with the ACC and Big 12 proposing a 16-team playoff with automatic qualifiers for conference champions, contrasting with the Big Ten and SEC's preferred format that includes play-in games and multiple automatic qualifiers, leading to a potential showdown that could reshape college football postseason structure.
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey's comments about automatic qualifiers hurting the competitiveness of the NCAA Tournament have received backlash on social media after the SEC started 1-5 in the tournament, with major upset losses. Sankey's remarks, made before the tournament, have been widely criticized as the SEC teams suffered losses to lower-seeded teams, including automatic qualifiers from smaller conferences. Social media reactions have highlighted the irony of Sankey's comments in light of the SEC's poor performance in the tournament.
The College Football Playoff Management Committee is considering expanding the playoff to 14 teams and introducing multiple automatic qualifiers for conferences in the 2026 season and beyond. The Big Ten and SEC are at the forefront of these discussions, with potential changes also including expanding the field to 16 teams. While no concrete decisions have been made, there is urgency for an agreement as it will impact the media rights contract and revenue distribution.