Just when you thought the College Football Playoff couldn’t get any more complicated, another potential format has entered the conversation, and this one could have major implications for the Big 12.
According to Josh Pate, the CFP Management Committee is set to meet Monday to discuss potential playoff expansion, with a 20-team format reportedly among the possibilities being discussed behind the scenes.
While much of the public conversation has centered around either 16 or 24 teams, Pate reports that the 20-team idea has been “privately cooking for a while.”
Here’s where things get particularly interesting for the Big 12.
Under the concept, each Power Four conference would reportedly have play-in games, essentially replacing some of the value and revenue that could be lost by eliminating the traditional conference championship games, including the Big 12 Championship Game.
The exact structure of those play-in games remains unclear, but for the Big 12, such a model could potentially provide the conference with multiple postseason opportunities rather than putting everything on one championship game in Arlington.
And depending on how automatic bids and seeding are structured, that could be significant.
The Big 12 has consistently fought to maintain access and opportunity in a college football landscape increasingly driven by the Big Ten and SEC. Any 20-team proposal would therefore need to be judged by one fundamental question from the conference’s perspective: How many guaranteed paths does the Big 12 receive?
If a play-in structure guarantees the Big 12 multiple teams an opportunity to reach the CFP, there could be plenty to like.
If, however, “play-in games” become another mechanism that provides additional access to the Big Ten and SEC while forcing Big 12 teams to jump through extra hoops, the conference should want no part of it.
There are still far more questions than answers, and Pate’s report describes an idea being discussed rather than an agreed-upon format.
But with CFP decision-makers meeting Monday, the possibility of a 20-team College Football Playoff is suddenly another format Big 12 fans need to keep an eye on.
