RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. (AP) — By now, pretty much anyone following college football knows the Big Ten wants to double the size of the playoff to 24 teams.
In what might come as a mild surprise, the Southeastern Conference, considered the major roadblock to such a big expansion, might be willing to go along with that plan.
With the Big Ten's annual meetings taking place this week in California, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey previewed his own league meetings, set for next week, on “The Paul Finebaum Show,” in a way that made the SEC sound like something other than an impediment to the 24-team bracket.
“What you will hear next week is a lot of our coaches, a lot of our athletic directors and probably some others think 24 is the right direction,” Sankey said. “What we’ve said is, that could ultimately be the proper direction. We just don't think you lead to that without information. And research and understanding the marketplace informs that decision.”
He said the research the SEC has done so far favors a lighter expansion, to 16 teams.
The Big Ten wants to go bigger, and if the two conferences can't agree, there can be no change. The upcoming season's playoff will be a 12-team affair, with a deadline of Dec. 1 to decide about 2027.
Sankey suggested the meeting about expansion in Florida next week could last two hours, about double the duration of last year, as league leaders sort through the scheduling, financial and competitive implications of such a change.
Those discussions are playing out this week in the Big Ten, which appears to be forming a united front in favor of the move to 24.
“I think 24 is the right number,” Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said Tuesday in California, noting the ratio of teams that make the playoff compared to the entire division would be about the same as in March Madness and the FCS playoffs.
“I think the College Football Playoff is urgent,” Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said. “I think everything else will trickle down from that decision. And I agree that 24 is the number, so hopefully, we can get that done.”
The Big Ten commissioner, Tony Petitti, was scheduled to address the media later Tuesday.
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Dirk van Ulden said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.