NEW BRUNSWICK — The Big Ten and SEC held their spring meetings, attended by athletic directors, coaches, and other officials from member schools, as discussions continued over a potential expansion of the College Football Playoff to 24 teams. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti said the conference has "had zero conversations about 16" teams for the College Football Playoff and supports a 24-team format.
Petitti added that his preference for a media partner in a 24-team CFP is "whoever’s committed to making it work." The current College Football Playoff media deal with ESPN spans six years and applies as long as the field remains at 12 or 14 teams. If the playoff expands, ESPN holds the first right to offer additional money for media rights.
Meanwhile, SEC officials remain unconvinced about moving to a 24-team structure. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart acknowledged concerns about how a later championship game could affect the transfer portal, saying, "I don’t think it’s great for the transfer portal to be ending the season that late, and if that championship game is in the way of that, or gets put on the back burner because of that, I think you’d have to accept it."
Smart also cited financial pressures facing athletic departments. "But I’m really more worried about the financial burden that we’re under right now of paying for all of the athletic department," he said. Multiple coaches have described a larger playoff field as offering "self-preservation" benefits for job security, though no specific timeline for a decision has been announced.