Joel Klatt Unpacks the Big Ten’s Reported Game-Changing CFP Expansion Proposal

At first blush, the Big Ten‘s reported idea of proposing that the College Football Playoff move to 24 or 28 teams might sound shocking. But for those who value the idea of the four power conferences being on equal footing, perhaps the idea is worth another look.

FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt explained how a possible 24-team CFP is much more likely to be discussed than a 28-team CFP proposal.

“The model that is being talked about with any seriousness is a 24-team model,” Klatt said on his podcast, “The Joel Klatt Show.” “With a 24-team model, you can at least, in theory, make more sense of it. They’re talking about eight teams having a bye and then having the other 16 teams play each other to whittle it down to 16 and going from there. That’s fine.

“Regardless of what you think of that, I will say, it’s an attempt of putting a net over all four constituents. What you’re saying is, ‘It can be selection-based, but there’s going to be a significant amount of automatic spots.’ And you don’t have to say, ‘Big 12 and ACC, you’re less than us,’ because there’s enough to go around. So, as surprising as it seems, I think that’s why we got it floated out there.”

While the exact format of the Big Ten’s potential 24-team proposal isn’t known yet, the 28-team model would have the Big Ten and the SEC receiving seven automatic bids each, while the ACC and the Big 12 would each receive five automatic bids. Two Group of 5 teams would also get automatic bids, and there would be two more spots for at-large bids, per a report from ESPN.

Both possible rumored 24- and 28-team formats would also come with conference championship game weekend being eradicated. If that’s the case, Klatt pointed out how the 24-team model could be similar to one of the ideas being floated about for a possible expansion to 16 teams.

“The 24-team model is not all that different, in theory, than what the Big Ten already suggested with a 16-team model and attached to the play-in games on conference championship game weekend,” Klatt said. “If you had play-in games in order to get to the 16, you would have about 24 teams [battling for those 16 spots].”

The latest expansion rumor comes after months of debate on how to expand the CFP field from 2026-32 ahead of the Dec. 1 deadline. While the first year of the 12-team CFP in 2024 was largely viewed as a success, some college football leaders have pushed the idea of expanding it to 16 teams. However, there have been disagreements about how many automatic bids each conference should get.

If the powers that be opted to expand the CFP beyond 12 teams, Klatt wants them to keep three objectives in mind.

“If you’re going to change anything about college football, it should really achieve those things: we should be increasing value, increasing fanbase and excitement and stabilizing the sport,” he said. “The 12-team playoff, with its flaws, did that.”

Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti, who Klatt pointed out is one of the two people with the most control over CFP expansion (SEC commissioner Greg Sankey being the other), told “The Joel Klatt Show” in June that he’s seeking a more access-based model for CFP expansion.

“I want more teams to feel like they’re chasing that opportunity to compete for a national championship,” Pettiti said. “Teams can get hot late in the season. The fact they lose a game early shouldn’t disqualify them. To play more meaningful conference games as late as possible.”

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