College football has experienced radical changes recently, including the first edition of the expanded 12-team playoff, and though reviews were mixed on the new format, the postseason will likely never decrease in size again.
What does seem inevitable, however, is the playoffs’ further expansion.
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According to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports, the potential for a 16-team playoff including automatic bids for conferences is now gaining support among top decision makers.
The four power conference commissioners held an in-person meeting in New York on Thursday to discuss several issues, including a future playoff format, sources tell @YahooSports. Big Ten & SEC – they control future format – continue to favor multiple AQs for their conferences.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) May 8, 2025
The agreement would include four SEC bids, four Big 10 bids, two each for the Big 12 and ACC, one bid for the Group of Five, and three at-large bids, which could go to anyone who did not automatically qualify. With the continued rapid pace of developments, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the change in format enacted after the 2026 season.
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However, perhaps the most intriguing part of speculation from an SEC perspective is the installation of play-in games in the SEC. While the No. 1 and No. 2 teams — who normally would play in a title game — would receive bids, the No. 3 team would take on the No. 6, and No. 3 would take on No. 4 in order to determine who would receive the auto-bids.
The change would once again place a major emphasis on conference races and attempt to keep the regular season valuable, something that the leagues obviously have an interest in doing.
How long the modification will take to actually implement remains to be seen, but by the looks of things, it’s probably time to start preparing for the new format.
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.
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