The 12-team playoff barely finished its second season and already the sport's power brokers are back at the table talking about blowing it up again. On Monday, the CFP's management committee is set to hear from TV consultants presenting fresh data on the value of different expansion models, according to Pete Nakos of On3.
Nakos followed up with a more specific detail: sources told On3 that a 20-team format with play-in games hasn't been formally pitched to CFP leaders yet, but it could be one of the models put on the table Monday. That's a notable jump from the 16- and 24-team options that have dominated the public conversation so far, and it comes with a wrinkle that would touch every Power Four league directly.
Sources told @On3 that CFP leaders have not been formally presented a 20-team CFP format with play-in games yet, but it could be one of the formats discussed Monday. Story: https://t.co/xdGFLYSeAA
The reason a 20-team idea is even in the mix traces back to money conference title games generate. The SEC's championship game alone pulls in more than $80 million a year for the conference, and commissioner Greg Sankey has been clear he's not interested in walking away from that revenue without something comparable replacing it. A play-in-game structure, where each Power Four conference stages its own qualifying round instead of a single title game, is reportedly one way to try to preserve that cash while still expanding the bracket. The Big Ten, meanwhile, has pushed for a 24-team field, while the SEC has favored staying closer to 16 -- meaning Monday's meeting is as much about two conferences finding common ground as it is about picking a number.
Not everyone is convinced any of this needs to happen. CFB Kings ripped into the entire premise, arguing the current format already works and that a bigger field just waters down what makes the sport unique.
The account followed that up by going after the motivation behind the push, framing it as a cash grab by TV executives rather than anything that benefits fans or players. It's a fair question to ask when the process literally involves media consultants presenting financial data to conference commissioners before any football people weigh in.
“The value of expansion models” The value for who? TV execs and suits? Because eroding a big part of what has made College Football unique for the past 150 years would bring no value to anyone but the gross people who are doing it solely for money.
There's also a philosophical case being made against expansion, and it's less about logistics and more about what a playoff is supposed to feel like. CFB Kings contrasted the old win-or-go-home stakes of the sport's regular season with a bigger-bracket future where teams can lean on just being ranked to get in, arguing that softens the tension that's defined 100-plus years of college football.
Nothing gets decided Monday -- this is a data-gathering session, not a vote -- but it's the clearest signal yet that a 20-team model with play-in games is a live option and not just internet speculation. Whatever the CFP settles on will need buy-in from both the Big Ten and SEC, who effectively control the format going forward, and any deal also has to line up with ESPN's broadcast contract. Expect more reporting out of this meeting as the picture on 16, 20 and 24 teams comes into focus.