CFP Format With 11 At-Large Bids Reportedly 'Gaining Traction' After SEC Meetings

The SEC and Big Ten reportedly could be split on their preferred formats as to what a 16-team College Football Playoff would look like in the future.

The 5+11 model, which would give automatic bids to five conference champions and allow the CFP selection committee to weigh in on 11 at-large bids, is "gaining traction" following the SEC's spring meetings, according to ESPN's Heather Dinich.

The conference could be hoping that format would come with adjustments to how the selection committee finalizes its rankings. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said Thursday that he believes there is a "need for change" in the committee's criteria, per Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger.

ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that the Big Ten came away from their own spring meetings in support of the 4-4-2-2-1-3 playoff model, which would give four bids each to the SEC and Big Ten, two each to the ACC and Big Ten, one to the Group of 5 and three at-large teams.

Dellenger previously reported that SEC administrators were originally in favor of the 4-4-2-2-1-3 model, but that public pushback from others including SEC coaches may have altered the league's stance.

CBS Sports' Brandon Marcello recently reported that the ACC and Big 12 are also both leaning toward support of the 5+11 format. Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark confirmed that stance during a Thursday appearance on ESPN's SportsCenter.

"I think we need to take these multiple AQs out of the conversation and I think 5+11 does that. And that’s our preference," Yormark said.

According to The Athletic's Chris Vannini, Yormark recently joined ACC commissioner Jim Phillips in pitching Sankey and Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti on the 5+11 format.

Dinich wrote on Thursday that, should Sankey and the SEC throw their support behind the format with 11 at-large bids, "the Big Ten would likely be the lone league in the room pushing automatic qualifiers."

According to Dinich, the SEC and ACC could both decide to revisit how many league games are played in the season leading up to the CFP before deciding which format to support.

Dinich wrote that conferences agree there is a "need for clarity about how the CFP selection committee ranks its teams, starting with how strength of schedule is determined and applied," before those decisions can be made.

Per Dinich, multiple SEC athletic directors said this week they would only support expanding the league schedule if the conference is guaranteed four spots through the Big Ten's preferred 4-4-2-2-1-3 model.

The current 12-team CFP format, which features "straight seeding" that offers automatic byes to the top-four ranked teams as opposed to the top four conference champions, is set to expire after the 2025 season. Leaders of the CFP have set Dec. 1 as the deadline for decisions regarding the format of the playoff past 2025, per Dinich.