Big Ten Proposes 24-Team CFP Bracket in New Photo, Latest on Potential Format Expansion

Even though the College Football Playoff will stick with the 12-team format in 2026, expansion talks remain ongoing with the Big Ten recently laying out its proposal for a 24-team format.

Per ESPN's Pete Thamel, the Big Ten has been circulating a document detailing its proposal for a 24-team playoff that would be in place "no later" than the 2029 season.

Thamel noted the Big Ten's proposal would eliminate conference championship games.

The field would be selected using a 23-plus-one model featuring the top 23 in the College Football Playoff rankings and one spot for a group of six program, with no automatic qualifiers.

Teams seeded nine through 24 would play in the first round, with the top eight seeds receiving an automatic bye into the second round. Games in the first two rounds would be played on-campus at the site of the higher seed.

One of the biggest obstacles to this proposal would seem to be the loss of conference title games. Thamel noted the Power Four championship games (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC) all bring in at least $200 million just in television value before factoring in ticket sales, sponsorships, merchandise, etc.

The Big Ten and SEC, as the two most powerful conferences in the country, carry a lot of weight in playoff expansion talks. But they have been at odds over how much expansion they want.

One of the reasons the 12-team format will remain in place next season is because of the deadlock between the two sides. ESPN's Heather Dinich reported last month there is "overwhelming support" for a 16-team proposal, including from SEC officials, but the Big Ten wouldn't agree to that unless the SEC went along with expanding it out to 24 teams by 2029.

The College Football Playoff has been in place since 2014. It started with a four-team format through the 2023 season before expanding to the current 12-team field.

Indiana defeated Miami in the championship game this year to win the first national title in program history. The Hoosiers' win also extended the Big Ten's streak of consecutive national titles to three.

The SEC and Big Ten have combined to win 10 of the 12 national titles under the College Football Playoff format. The ACC has the other two victories, both by Clemson.