Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren Releases Statement on Failed CFP Expansion

The commissioner was one of three to vote against an expanded, 12-team playoff.

After the College Football Playoff committee failed to reach an agreement on potential expansion on Friday, Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren, who recommended a vote against the 12-team format, released a statement to clarify his position. 

Prior to Friday‘s meeting and subsequent vote, Warren had been among the conference leaders opposed to the proposed changes. However, he explained that he remains in favor of an eventual expansion, once the leagues resolve any outstanding issues.

“To be very clear, the Big Ten Conference supports expansion of the college football playoff system – for our student-athletes, member institutions and fans,“ Warren wrote, per Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press. “Expansion provides increased opportunities, exposure and value for our member institutions, student-athletes, coaches, football teams and athletic programs.

“I trust that we will continue to collectively the unresolved matters and move forward for the greater good of college football.”

Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren on CFP expansion. pic.twitter.com/HGeRyerVwg

— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoAP) February 19, 2022

Warren represents one of the three conferences that voted against the most recent expansion proposal on Friday. College Football Playoff board chair Mark Keenum, the president of Mississippi State, told Sports Illustrated‘s Ross Dellenger that the expansion vote was 8–3, with the ACC, PAC-12 and Big Ten all voting against the 12-team proposal beginning in 2024.

Because the College Football Playoff committee could not reach an agreement and canceled its next in-person meeting, which was supposed to take place on March 2 in Dallas, the playoff format will continue to consist of four teams through the 2025 season, when the current 12-year contract expires.

Although there are no plans for the committee to meet next, Bill Hancock the executive director of the College Football Playoff, maintained that expansion talks will continue. The committee will now have more time to resolve their difference and could implement the changes as early as the 2026–27 season.

”Even though the outcome did not lead to a recommendation for an early expansion before the end of the current 12-year contract, the discussions have been helpful and informative,“ Hancock said in a statement Friday. “I am sure they will serve as a useful guide for the Board of Managers and for the Management Committee as we determine what the Playoff will look like beginning in the 2026-2027 season.“