CFP 5+11 model gaining traction among leaders

DESTIN, Fla. -- A 16-team College Football Playoff exemplary featuring the apical 5 league champions and 11 at-large teams is gaining traction pursuing SEC outpouring meetings this week, but the adjacent measurement successful playoff enlargement for 2026 and beyond volition beryllium connected however rapidly the sport's leaders tin marque a flurry of decisions.

A captious constituent is the SEC's prime betwixt staying astatine 8 league games oregon moving to 9 - a taxable ACC sources accidental could beryllium revisited successful their league aft years of being dormant if prompted by playoff expansion. The lynchpin to those scheduling decisions is 1 happening each league seems to hold connected - the request for clarity astir however the CFP enactment committee ranks its teams, starting with however spot of docket is determined and applied.

"I bash deliberation there's a request for change," SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said of the ranking protocol connected Thursday astatine the decision of his league's outpouring meetings. "... How bash you marque those decisions? It's hard, and we spot the committee to bash that, and I respect the radical successful there, truthful this isn't a disapproval of the people. This is wanting to recognize the decisions. We person to person amended clarity connected the criteria that pass those decisions."

Currently, spot of docket is 1 of respective factors not weighed successful the committee's ambiguous protocol - connection the FBS commissioners wrote astatine the inception of the four-team playoff successful 2014. There's a consciousness among immoderate diversion directors successful some the SEC and ACC that moving to 9 league games is feasible - if the committee doesn't penalize teams for losing 2 oregon 3 games against beardown opponents.

Some SEC diversion directors stressed this week that they would lone favour a nine-game league docket if the league is guaranteed 4 playoff spots - besides the Big Ten's preferred model.

"If we're not assured that the decision-making astir who gets successful and wherefore and what are the metrics astir it, it's going to beryllium truly hard for immoderate of my colleagues to get to the 9 games," Texas A&M diversion manager Trev Alberts said. "We've got a timeline that's getting tight, and we admit that. It seems similar everything is coming to a head. In a mode it's a small spot frustrating, successful different mode it feels bully due to the fact that eventually, it feels similar we're really going to get immoderate of this dealt with."

CFP leaders person acceptable Dec. 1 arsenic a deadline to find the aboriginal format, and Sankey said helium wants to marque a scheduling determination successful 2026, but didn't specify when. The FBS commissioners and Notre Dame diversion manager Pete Bevacqua are scheduled to conscionable in-person connected June 18 successful Asheville, N.C. Sankey was asked if his league would beryllium unified connected a format by then.

"We'll see," Sankey said.

Multiple ACC sources said the league would similar a 5+11 model, and Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark has publically supported it astatine his league's outpouring meetings this week.

"It has ever been our archetypal choice," Yormark told ESPN. "It's just and rewards on-field performance. I'm not amazed SEC coaches similar it."

The Big 12's administrators agree.

"The conception of the CFP wasn't to springiness 1 oregon 2 conferences much value. It was expected to beryllium the champion mode to behaviour a existent nationalist championship," UCF diversion manager Terry Mohajir said. "I deliberation a 5 positive 11 is the champion mode to bash that, and it gets the champion teams in."

If Sankey tin bring his diversion directors onto the aforesaid leafage arsenic his coaches, who this week voiced beardown enactment for a 5+11 exemplary (but with 8 league games), the Big Ten would apt beryllium the lone league successful the country pushing automatic qualifiers.

"[We're] benignant of important," Sankey said, "a spot important successful that decision."

The Big Ten and SEC person the bulk of power implicit the playoff's format successful 2026 and beyond - thing the different FBS commissioners and Bevacqua agreed to erstwhile they signed a memorandum of knowing for the caller six-year deal.

"If we bash privation to person a nationalist tournament, we bash person to get everyone connected the aforesaid leafage and everyone has to enactment together," Florida diversion manager Scott Stricklin said.

The ACC's considerations of a nine-game league docket had been tabled for a fewer years for aggregate reasons. Several schools already person existing rivalries with SEC schools, positive determination is simply a built-in statement with Notre Dame. The ACC doesn't needfully person to determine that for the 2026 play - it's thing that could beryllium phased in, according to a source.

Alabama diversion manager Greg Byrne said 2 of his main priorities arsenic the playoff discussions determination guardant are entree and having "a beauteous wide knowing of what gets you in, what doesn't."

"I cognize past twelvemonth I talked astir a batch of what I work was 2 versus 3 losses, and that was concerning," Byrne said. "Granted, ultimately, it's up to you and the play you person connected the field, and you person to admit that, but I besides bash judge that erstwhile you looked astatine the slug points for the CFP, spot of docket was the archetypal slug constituent listed. Trying to get immoderate wide knowing of however is that weighed successful the country is important. Our league due to the fact that of the play connected the field, has deserved the payment of the uncertainty astatine times to beryllium powerfully considered for the CFP."

On Thursday afternoon, the SEC provided members of the media with a six-page packet that included color-coded charts utilizing aggregate metrics to exemplify the league's ascendant docket strength. Sankey said the task for determining the CFP's spot of docket constituent is striking a equilibrium "between quality and machine," referring to the aged BCS machine formula.

"Whether you hold oregon not, that's what we're looking at," Sankey said of the packet, which included ESPN's Strength of Record, Bill Connelly's SP+, Kenneth Massey's metric, ESPN's Football Power Index, and ESPN's Strength of Schedule metric. "That doesn't mean each 1 of these should beryllium inserted into the CFP, but I deliberation you person to see what it means, due to the fact that there's different ratings and valuation tools we've looked astatine that are overmuch similar these results."

While the issues are connected the table, the CFP's absorption committee is notorious for missing its ain deadlines. Sankey this week didn't regularisation retired the anticipation of the 12-team CFP remaining successful spot successful 2026.

"Can I spot a scenario? Sure, I tin spot a scenario," Sankey said. "But is that the astir apt scenario? Come backmost for more. I said - genuinely - we're funny successful a model. We're not committed to that model, and you've seen that play retired this week, wherever radical person antithetic ideas."

The question is if the Power 4 leagues tin enactment their differences speech - quickly.

"We request to enactment good together," Sankey said. "The affectional maturity needed close present is higher than ever."

ESPN's Andrea Adelson contributed to this report.