Ever since news was reported a few days ago that the Big Ten was exploring a College Football Playoff that is expanded to 24 or 28 teams, the college football world has been abuzz with possibility. Although a lot of executives aren't in favor of the expansion proposed by the Big Ten, not all of them are opposed to it, according to CBS Sports' Brandon Marcello on Monday.
“Several SEC athletic directors surveyed by CBS Sports on Sunday were receptive to the Big Ten's pitch, though there was no consensus,” wrote Marcello. “Reaction was also mixed in the ACC and Big 12. Executives in the Group of Six conferences were not in favor. ‘I like it,' an ACC athletics director told CBS Sports. ‘We need to continue to evolve.'”
The Big Ten and SEC would likely be the two conferences most in favor of the expansion. After all, the two conferences are the key decision makers on the issue of expansion. The current 12-team format is in place until later this year. Then, the key decision makers in college football need to choose whether they will stick with 12 teams or expand. As unlikely as it is, it is possible that a decrease in the field could happen. However, it certainly feels like an expansion is coming. The main question is this: how would a 28 team CFP look?
How would 28 teams look in College Football Playoff?
At the moment, the top four teams in the College Football Playoff standings have a bye in the first round of the tournament. The next four teams host a CFP first-round matchup on their home campus, while the final four teams travel to those sites. Based on last season's edition, it's clear that the first round on campus games are a hit across college football. In the event of any CFP expansion, it almost a lock that those games will remain.
One big loser in this whole scenario would be the bowl season. As more teams clinch spots in the College Football Playoff, less would be playing in the bowls. A good amount of them are controlled by ESPN, who is the principal broadcast partner for most of college football. If those some of those bowls are cancelled, what will happen to those programs left out of the postseason? It is yet another important question that the Big Ten, SEC and the rest of the conferences must answer before a decision on CFP expansion happens.
