The Big Ten Conference is circulating an internal document detailing a potential expansion of the College Football Playoff to 24 teams, a model that would eliminate conference championship games and add an extra weekend of on-campus postseason matchups, according to a report obtained by ESPN.
The proposal comes as the playoff remains set at 12 teams for the 2026 season, even as momentum builds among major conferences to consider future expansion.
Under the new proposal, the playoffs would begin on the second weekend of December, occupying a television window largely free of NFL competition.
Quarterfinals would remain at bowl sites on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, followed by semifinals the next week and a mid-January championship game.
Currently the Rose Bowl Game is scheduled to serve as a quarterfinal site over the next two seasons.
The document also suggests the CFP selection committee would be directed to avoid first-round rematches between teams that met in the regular season.
Debate over expansion has sharpened in recent weeks. The Southeastern Conference has indicated support for a 16-team format, while the Big Ten has expressed willingness to move to 16 only if there is a pathway to a 24-team field.
The two conferences hold significant influence over CFP decision-making, contributing to a current stalemate.
The Big Ten document, described as a “24-team CFP Format Compromise,” has been distributed to athletic directors and a working group of head coaches within the league. While not a formal proposal, it outlines the conference’s vision for a larger playoff structure.
Interest in expansion has grown among leaders in the Power Four conferences.
Coaches cite increasing “playoff-or-bust” pressure, while athletic directors are seeking additional postseason inventory to offset rising roster and program costs.
Under a preferred timeline, the Big Ten envisions the playoff expanding to 16 teams for the 2027 and 2028 seasons before growing to 24 teams no later than 2029.
That format would run through the end of the current CFP media contract in 2031, after which a new television agreement could allow further adjustments.
In the 16-team model, five automatic qualifiers and 11 at-large teams would make the field. The top two seeds would receive first-round byes. Opening games — matching seeds 16 vs. 13 and 14 vs. 15 — would be played on the second weekend of December, around the annual Army-Navy game.
Six second-round games would be held on campus sites, followed by quarterfinals at traditional bowl venues on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Semifinals would also be played at bowl sites, with the national championship scheduled for mid-January at a neutral location.
The 24-team format outlined in the document would select the top 23 teams plus one from the Group of Six conferences, with no automatic qualifiers.
If applied to the 2025 season, the model would have included seven SEC teams, six from the Big Ten, five from the Big 12, three from the ACC, two Group of Six teams and independent Notre Dame.
In that structure, the top eight teams would receive byes. Eight first-round games and eight second-round games would be played on campus, ensuring top seeds host playoff contests — an element conference officials view as a shortcoming of the current system.
The plan would also phase out conference championship games. The document characterizes those contests as “artificial,” arguing conferences that stage title games assume greater competitive risk than leagues that do not.
Replacing the revenue generated by conference championships presents a major obstacle.
Media rights for Power Four title games are valued at more than $200 million, excluding additional income from ticket sales, sponsorships and game-day revenue.
A 16-team playoff would add four games, though only two would be available for new media bidding under the current contract. By contrast, a 24-team field would create 10 additional games for open bid, expanding the total playoff inventory from 11 to 23 games.
Conference leaders argue a larger playoff would sustain fan interest deeper into the season, create more meaningful late-year games and reduce injury risk tied to conference title matchups.
The document also notes that in the transfer-portal era, teams that improve after early losses would benefit from expanded postseason access.
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