Report: Big Ten ADs 'Can't Ignore 16-Team Playoff'

The format is gaining more and more momentum this summer.

© Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

CINCINNATI — The College Football Playoff organizers are picking discussions about an expanded playoff back up in the next couple of months and there is reportedly growing momentum for a 16-team playoff.

According to Pete Thamel, Big Ten ADs met this week and had discussions about what that format would look like with Ohio State AD Gene Smith quoted saying, "Sixteen just seems to be out there. You can’t ignore it.”

Multiple reporters then confirmed that a 16-team-playoff was a big topic for the SEC and commissioner, Greg Sankey, at SEC Media Days earlier this month. These reports scuttle some thoughts that the biggest players in the Power Five want a 12-team playoff when a new format is implemented following the 2025 season.

Increasing the pool by four teams would be great for the SEC and Big Ten, who would likely house 8-12 spots in that format given the current conference affiliation atmosphere in 2026. Yet, it would drastically devalue the regular season and conference championship games, unless they keep the bye structure in place that the organizers discussed last year for a 12-team affair.

All in all, this shows how much is up in the air for college football right now, as conference realignment keeps churning and the first ten years of the CFP barrel towards a conclusion in 2025.

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