The Big Ten Conference is exploring a plan that would enlarge the College Football Playoff to either 24 or 28 teams, according to reports from ESPN and NBC Sports confirmed by people familiar with the discussions. The idea is in its formative stages but has been circulated among conference leaders by Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti ahead of the CFP management committee’s next in-person meeting on Sept. 24. Under the 28-team concept outlined by ESPN, conference championship games would be scrapped and the playoff field would feature a heavy allotment of automatic bids: seven each for the Big Ten and SEC, five each for the ACC and Big 12, two for champions of the remaining Football Bowl Subdivision leagues, and two at-large berths. Seeding and at-large selections would remain the responsibility of the CFP committee, with the first two rounds played on campus sites. The proposal surfaces as the sport prepares for only its second season with a 12-team playoff, signaling the continued push by the Big Ten and SEC for a larger, more revenue-generating postseason. Whether the broader CFP governance structure will entertain an expansion beyond 12 teams—or consider a middle-ground 16-team bracket—could become clearer after the September meetings.