CFP Bracket Format Featuring 5 Automatic Bids Reportedly Proposed to Big Ten, SEC

More changes to the College Football Playoff bracket could be on the way.

According to Brett McMurphy of The Action Network, the SEC and Big Ten have been approached with an idea that would see the CFP hand out five automatic bids with four to the champions of the Power 4 conferences, and one to the top Group of 6 team.

Whether the CFP field includes 12, 14 or 16 teams moving forward, the rest of the spots would be filled by at-large teams.

Per McMurphy, the proposal is significantly different from what the SEC and Big Ten would prefer.

If the SEC and Big Ten get their way, their conferences will get four automatic bids each, the Big 12 and ACC will get two each, the Group of 6 will get one and there will be three at-large bids.

Under that scenario, the CFP would have to expand to 16 teams from its current format of 12 teams.

ESPN's Pete Thamel previously reported on the "4-4-2-2-1-3 model," although SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey insisted Monday that the proposal is far from set in stone.

Sankey said the SEC is "not committed to any particular format," before adding: "We'll see how that conversation manifests itself this week and we'll look a little bit more deeply at different ideas, which will put me at some point in a better position to answer those questions."

For the first decade of its existence, the CFP was a four-team tournament, but it expanded to 12 teams for the first time last season.

The top five conference champions in the CFP rankings received automatic bids to the tourney, with the remaining seven playoff teams being at-large selections.

Of the conference champions in the field, the four who were ranked highest in the CFP rankings received the top four seeds and the first-round byes that came along with them.

Last week, it was announced that the CFP is switching to a straight seeding model for the 2025 season, meaning the top four teams in the CFP rankings will be the top four seeds regardless of whether they won their conference championship.

Last year, it wasn't possible for two SEC or two Big Ten teams to receive a first-round bye even though many of the best teams in the nation were in those conferences.

It also wasn't possible for Notre Dame to get a first-round bye since it is an independent and can't win a conference title.

While the CFP field will remain at 12 teams this coming season, future expansion seems inevitable with a 16-team field being the most likely outcome.

Thamel reported earlier this month that an industry source said a 16-team CFP is the "preferred" choice among the Power 4 conferences.

A 16-team CFP could be in play as soon as 2026, but it is clear that common ground hasn't yet been reached on how a 16-team field would be determined.