CFP leaders say 'everything's on the table' after meetings wrap - ESPN

Leaders of the College Football Playoff are still «mulling over» what the format should look like in 2026 and beyond, CFP executive director Rich Clark said Wednesday following the conclusion of two days of meetings in Asheville, North Carolina

«Pretty much everything's on the table, and they're taking a good look at it all of it,» Clark said. «So, I wouldn't say there's a leading contender right now for them, but they're taking a fresh look at it.»

Last month, at the SEC's spring meetings in Destin, Florida, there was new support from the head football coaches for a 16-team model that would include the five highest-ranked conference champions and 11 at-large teams. That quickly gained traction and public support from other leagues, but it also surprised many leaders in the Big Ten Conference.

Many athletic directors in both leagues had been aligned in their desire to have automatic qualifiers that would guarantee both conferences four spots each in the playoff, with play-in games to determine whom the third and fourth playoff participants would be. Following the SEC's spring meetings, many sources in the Big Ten have indicated that they wouldn't even consider a 5+11 model unless the SEC and the ACC both go to nine conference games.

The Big Ten and the SEC have the bulk of control of the next iteration of the playoff, but the two conferences haven't been on the same page recently in terms of what that should look like.

«They're obligated to come to an agreement on what the format is,» Clark said.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has said repeatedly that he wanted more clarity on the selection process before determining if the league should move to a nine-game schedule, and much of this week's meetings were spent studying