Washington Huskies support 24-team College Football Playoff field
The Seattle Times • • general
Key Points:
- Big Ten executives, led by commissioner Tony Petitti, strongly support expanding the College Football Playoff (CFP) to a 24-team format, with Washington athletic director Pat Chun endorsing the larger field for increased access.
- The current 12-team CFP will remain until both the Big Ten and SEC agree on expanding to either 16 or 24 teams, with the Big Ten favoring 24 and the SEC leaning toward 16.
- Petitti's 24-team proposal includes one automatic bid for the best Group of Six team and 23 at-large spots, with the top eight seeds receiving first-round byes, aiming to increase competitive opportunities and television revenue.
- Expanding only to 16 teams is seen as problematic due to limited access gains and potential loss of lucrative conference championship games, particularly for the Big Ten and SEC.
- Negotiations between the Big Ten and SEC will continue through the summer and fall, with a December 1 deadline to finalize expansion plans for the 2027 season, while media rights discussions involve networks like ESPN and Fox.