Big 12 throws its weight behind 24-team College Football Playoff model
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While the debate over the expansion of the College Football Playoff rages on, the Big 12 made it clear that it favors a 24-team model.
The league is joining the Big Ten and ACC, fellow Power Four conferences, in throwing its support behind doubling the current 12-team format. However, the SEC isn’t sold on the idea, instead pushing a 16-team playoff.
“I can’t speak to what others are saying or doing, but I can tell you that, directionally, we like 24,” Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said Friday following the conference’s spring business meetings in Frisco, Texas. “If we had a 24-team format last year, we would have had five schools in and that’s good for the Big 12.”
The league’s 16 football coaches voted unanimously this week in favor of the 24-team model during a straw poll.
“It was unanimous. Every coach voted for the 24-team playoff,” said West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez.
Only one team from the Big 12 earned a spot in last year’s 12-team playoff field — Texas Tech — while the league’s runner-up, BYU, was left out despite being ranked 12th in the final CFP rankings. The ACC also had one team in Miami. Meanwhile, the SEC (five) and Big Ten (three) combined to field eight teams, with the Group of Five sending James Madison and Tulane.
“BYU should have made the CFP last year and there was a lot of debate around it, but I feel very strongly based on their resume,” said Yormark. “I like where we are at with football. We are the deepest conference in America.”
“The CFP staff talked about the strength of the Big 12, not just individual teams compared to others, but the strength of the conference. We were the second-ranked conference in strength of conference in their metrics last year,” added Scott Draper, the league’s chief football officer.
Discussions on College Football Playoff expansion have been ongoing since last season, with the Big Ten and SEC unable to agree on a format.
A move to a 24-team model would likely signify the end of conference championship games, which have been a big source of additional revenue for each league.
“That would require us to give up our champion and our champion is very valuable to us,” said Yormark. “We need to roll up our sleeves, do the work and understand the economics on it and what that means for a 24-team model.”
Big 12 pondering expanding basketball schedule to 20 conference games
If a 24-team model is approved, it may require leagues to alter how they construct their scheduling matrices.
There were discussions this week about expanding the conference football schedule to 10 games. The league currently uses a nine-game conference schedule and requires teams to schedule a Power Four opponent as one of their three non-conference matchups.
But Yormark indicated those ideas would need to be further explored before making any recommendations.
“There is a scheduling committee that’s working very closely with Scott (Draper) on what the future matrix might look like, but if you go to 24, it’ll have some impact on what that scheduling might or might not look like in the future,” said Yormark.
Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.
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