Tulane Green Wave, Group of 5 Still Benefit in New CFP Format Proposal
Talks are heating up within the SEC and Big Ten as they collaborate to expand the College Football Playoff format to a 14 or 16-team model with more automatic qualifiers for each league.
The proposed format change beginning in 2026 still includes a strong lane for the Tulane Green Wave to make the field and compete for a national championship.
As outlined by senior college football reporter Ross Dellenger with Yahoo! Sports, SEC and Big Ten athletic directors are set to meet Wednesday in New Orleans to work towards a consensus recommendation they would present to the CFP Management Committee on Feb. 25 in Dallas.
The delegation of control to those two conferences by the executives of the 10 FBS leagues and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish athletic director came after an intense negotiation period last spring where the Big Ten and SEC threatened a possible breakoff to create an exclusive postseason system.
For the Big Ten and SEC, they want a larger share of the revenue and control over the playoff format. Their proposed changes would pave a path for the SEC to finally move to nine regular-season conference matchups and an opportunity to overhaul the conference championship format for Power 4 leagues.
In the updated proposal shared by Dellenger, the 14 or 16-team model would provide four automatic qualifiers each to the SEC and Big Ten, two each to the ACC and Big 12 and one remaining slot for the highest-ranked Group of 5 champion.
As is the case in the current CFP model, it would include one or three at-large spots, intended to specifically guarantee Notre Dame a spot should they finish the season inside the Top 14, per the memorandum.
The 14-team format would give first-round byes to the top two seeds.
In a 16-team playoff, there would be no byes.
Either expansion would significantly curtail the influence of the CFP selection committee.
It may be a perfect world for the Big Ten and SEC, but what about for other conferences?
There’s little incentive for the Big 12 and ACC leaders to support the future change, as they stand to lose control more than anything. However, the format last season arguably supports the change for all parties.
In the 2024 campaign, the first-round byes went to the SEC, Big Ten, Mountain West Conference and Big 12; the Georgia Bulldogs, Oregon Ducks, Boise State Broncos and Arizona State Sun Devils.
The SEC had three teams; Georgia, the Texas Longhorns and Tennessee Volunteers. The Big Ten had four; Oregon, the Penn State Nittany Lions, Indiana Hoosiers and the national champion Ohio State Buckeyes.
Outside of the Sun Devils, the Big 12 had no at-large teams.
The SMU Mustangs and Clemson Tigers represented the ACC.
The Fighting Irish took the final spot as an independent.
An expanded 14-team format would give the SEC one more team than last year and the same awarded to the Big Ten. However, the Big 12 would have gained an additional team, while the ACC and Group of 5 would remain unchanged.
The inclusion of the highest-ranked champion remains crucial for the Group of 5 level schools. Potential proposals looked to exclude that qualifier entirely and award more at-large spots.
It does mean the margin for error remains razor-thin.
Group of 5 leaders are preparing to fight for access and potentially expand upon that, per American Athletic Commissioner Tim Pernetti.
“College football is stronger than ever,” Pernetti said. “As the CFP evolves, we have a responsibility to student-athletes, the integrity of the game, and our fans to build a future that includes expanded access for every conference.”
For the Green Wave, they were in the mix for the spot in the College Football Playoff before consecutive losses to the Memphis Tigers and Army West Point Black Knights.
They won’t have Ashton Jeanty to compete with at Boise State. Memphis and Army both lose stellar quarterbacks.
Should Tulane be able to reload at quarterback and be a dominant Group of 5 program going forward, the future of the College Football Playoff guarantees they’ll have an opportunity to compete for a national title.
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Maddy Hudak is the deputy editor for Tulane on Sports Illustrated and the radio sideline reporter for their football team. Maddy is an alumnus of Tulane University, and graduated in 2016 with a degree in psychology. She went on to obtain a Master of Legal Studies while working as a research coordinator at the VA Hospital, and in jury consulting. During this time, Maddy began covering the New Orleans Saints with SB Nation, and USA Today. She moved to New Orleans in 2021 to pursue a career in sports and became Tulane's sideline reporter that season. She enters her fourth year with the team now covering the program on Sports Illustrated, and will use insights from features and interviews in the live radio broadcast. You can follow her on X at @MaddyHudak_94, or if you have any questions or comments, she can be reached via email at maddy.hudak1@gmail.com