While the Tulane Green Wave was not at Tuesday’s College Football Playoff meeting in person, the American Athletic Conference commissioner, Tim Pernetti, was there, representing the league’s interest in expansion of the playoff past the 2025 season.
Each of major college football’s 10 conference commissioners, along with Notre Dame athletic director Peter Bevacqua and CFP chairman Rich Clark were in Dallas to discuss potential format changes to an expanded format that is only one year old.
Most of the conference commissioners offered little in the way of comment after the meeting, with only ACC commissioner Jim Phillips giving an on-the-record quote to Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger.
“For all of us, there’s been somebody before us and there will be somebody after us,” Phillies said. “You have to serve your constituents, but you can’t be completely oblivious and not mindful of what’s good for college football and the fans and what you’re hearing from them.”
Last season was the first of the expanded 12-team playoff, which awarded automatic bids to the five highest-ranked conference champions, followed by at-large bids to the next seven highest-ranked teams. Included among the five highest-ranked conference champions was the top-ranked Group of 5 conference champion, which last year was Boise State.
The commissioners are weighing changes to the format, as the current format is only agreed upon through next season.
Phillips said that the commissioners discussed 12-team, 14-team and 16-team models but that no decisions were made. Clark said that the commissioners need more information before making decisions.
There is a push to implement some changes for the 2025 playoff. For example, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti want straight seeding of the field, as opposed to awarding first-round byes to the top four-ranked conference champions. Both Phillips and Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark have voiced opposition to it.
All conferences must in favor of any format changes.
Along with 2025, the format for future seasons must be determined, and the SEC and Big Ten can drive that conversation because the rest of the commissioners put those two leagues in charge of the format discussion with a memorandum of understanding last year. That was in exchange for the SEC and the Big Ten not creating their own playoff.
In any format, an automatic bid is expected to be given to the top-ranked Group of 5 conference champion, giving Tulane potential access to the playoff if it wins the AAC.
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