College Football Playoff format a hot topic as media days kick off with Big 12

It didn’t take long for discussion on the College Football Playoff format to begin at the start of this so-called “Talking Season.”

Big 12 Media Days opened on Tuesday in Frisco, Texas, with commissioner Brett Yormark saying he’s “doubling down” on a desire for the 5-11 playoff model in 2026.

College football has until Dec. 1 to decide on what a new playoff model will look like with the CFP field expected to expand from its current format featuring 12 teams to 16 teams starting with the 2026 season.

The Big Ten has been a vocal supporter of a model that would feature four teams automatically qualifying from the SEC, four teams automatically qualifying from the Big Ten, two teams automatically qualifying form the ACC, two teams automatically qualifying from the Big 12, one team qualifying from among the Group of 5 (highest-ranked conference champion) and three at-large teams selected from the CFP rankings.

“We’re in the Big Ten, and we have 18 teams and some of the best programs in the country,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day told ESPN. “I feel like we deserve at least four automatic qualifiers.”

The Big 12, ACC and SEC have voiced support for a model that would feature five automatic qualifiers — conference champions from Power Four conferences (Big Ten, SEC, ACC, Big 12) and the highest-ranked Group of 5 conference champion — and 11 at-large teams based on the rankings.

“Five-11 is fair,” Yormark said on Tuesday, per ESPN.com. “We want to earn it on the field. It might not be the best solution today for the Big 12 ... but long-term, knowing the progress we’re making, the investments we’re making, it’s the right format for us. And I’m doubling down today on 5 (plus) 11.”

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has spoken up loudly on wanting as many of the best teams in the College Football Playoff field as possible, which would favor the 5-11 model over a model with more automatic qualifiers.

The SEC Media Days take place next week in Atlanta, with the Big Ten and ACC Media Days taking place the following week in Las Vegas, and Charlotte, N.C., respectively.

For now, the floor belongs to the Big 12, and Yormark also noted on Tuesday that the CFP Selection Committee process for ranking teams is also under evaluation.

“The first step is we got to figure out, with the selection process, we’re kind of doing a deep dive,” Yormark said on Tuesday. “Where can we improve it? Where can we modernize it? Are we using the right metrics? Are things weighted appropriately or not?

“So we’re going through that conversation, and I think on the heels of that, we’ll move into the format because I think for the room people need to get confident, more confident, in that selection process. And assuming they do, which I’m confident they will, we’ll be able to then address the format that makes sense.”

Three changes will go into effect in the CFP next season, in what’s expected to be the final year of the 12-team field before an anticipated expansion to 16 teams:

• There will be straight seeding (based on final rankings by the CFP selection committee)

• Conference champions will not be guaranteed first-round byes

• The four highest-seeded teams will receive first-round byes