Inside the CFP Expansion Talks: SEC and Big Ten Eye Major Control in 2026 Format

Conference Commissioners from the SEC, Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12 met in person on Thursday, where they brought back the conversation of College Football Playoff expansion. According to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports, a new playoff format beginning in 2026 has gained some traction.

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Dellenger reports that the SEC and the Big Ten control the conversation around a future format. Greg Sankey and Tony Petitti favor multiple automatic qualifiers for their conferences.

The current belief is that a 16-team format is most likely, with the Big Ten and the SEC getting the majority of the bids.

4 from the SEC
4 from the Big Ten
2 from the ACC
2 from the Big 12
1 from the Group of 6
3 at-large bids

In addition to conference championships, inner-league play-in games could become a possibility as well. The 3rd place team would face the 6th place team, while the 4th place team would face the 5th place team for the final two automatic qualifying spots in the College Football Playoff.

To put this into perspective, let's take a look at last year's SEC standings.

With the inner-league play-in games, Texas and Georgia would still play for the SEC championship. However, both teams would already be guaranteed a playoff spot.

Tennessee (which finished third in the SEC) would play Ole Miss (6th) for a playoff bid.

Alabama (which finished fourth) would play LSU (5th) for a playoff bid.

Dellenger reports that a decision is expected over the next month or two about changing the playoff format for 2026 and beyond. The SEC and the Big Ten are having spring meetings later this month, which could result in changes to the SEC's conference schedule.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.