The people who run college football are extending the deadline for them to step on their own dicks from next Monday to the end of January.
At that point, on Jan. 23, four days after Ohio State wins its second straight national title, the two people who run the College Football Playoff and ESPN will meet, then fail to agree, on a new format for 2026 and beyond, almost entirely because the Big Ten wants more than one automatic playoff spot.
“We appreciate the continued partnership and collaboration with ESPN as we work through the important elements that will shape the future of the College Football Playoff,” said Rich Clark, a retired Air Force general, who is the executive director of the CFP. “While no change to the current format is definite, this extension will allow the Management Committee additional time to evaluate the second year of the expanded playoff and ensure any potential modifications are carefully considered, fully vetted, and in the best interests of student-athletes, schools, and fans.”
The “Management Committee” is pretty much Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey – for some reason, the other commissioners voted to give those two guys outsized sway.
For that and that alone, ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips should be out of a job.
The Big Ten wants a 24-team playoff with automatic bids for the Big Ten and SEC outside of just the conference champs.
The SEC, and the powers-that-don’t-be, would prefer a 16-team playoff with automatic bids for the five highest-ranked conference champs and 11 at-large bids.
Absent an agreement on this after the 2025-2026 playoff season, we’ll get another 12-team playoff for the 2026-2027 postseason.
Translation: we’re getting another 12-team playoff for the 2026-2027 postseason.
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Chris Graham
