Mon Aug 18 10:50:00 UTC 2025: **Summary:**

ESPN’s Pete Thamel reports that the Big Ten and Big 12 are exploring a radical proposal to expand the College Football Playoff to 24 or 28 teams, potentially eliminating conference championship games. A 28-team model would feature numerous automatic bids for each Power Four conference (Big Ten, SEC, ACC, Big 12), plus slots for non-Power Four teams and at-large selections. The plan aims to bring more playoff games to campus locations. Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti has shared the idea with his conference. This proposal comes as college football leaders are already discussing a 16-team playoff, stalled by disagreements over automatic bids versus at-large selections.

**News Article:**

**Big Ten & Big 12 Float Massive College Football Playoff Expansion Proposal**

**ESPN’s Pete Thamel has reported that the Big Ten and Big 12 are exploring an idea of a massive expansion of the College Football Playoff that would grow the postseason to 24 or 28 teams.**

The proposal, still in its early stages, could dramatically reshape the college football landscape. Sources told ESPN that the plan includes eliminating conference championship games and offering a high number of automatic bids for all four Power Four leagues.

Under a potential 28-team format, the Big Ten and SEC would each receive seven automatic bids, while the ACC and Big 12 would each receive five. The remaining spots would be allocated as two automatic bids for non-Power Four conferences and two at-large teams. The 28-team format would put 20 playoff games on campus, which would accentuate the success of that from last year’s CFP.

The College Football Playoff committee would be responsible for seeding the field and selecting the at-large teams.

Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti presented the idea to his conference on Wednesday, according to sources, and it is now being circulated among other stakeholders.

This proposal arrives amidst ongoing discussions about expanding the playoff to 16 teams, a plan currently stalled due to disagreements over the allocation of automatic bids versus at-large selections. The 2025 season will be the second year of the 12-team playoff. If approved, a 24 or 28-team playoff would usher in the biggest transformation to college football’s postseason in recent history.

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