College Football Playoff executive director Rich Clark said commissioners have no consensus on how the tournament should look when a new six-year media cycle starts in 2026, adding that “everything is back on the table” and a decision is expected this fall. If the group misses the Dec. 1 deadline to alert broadcast partner ESPN of any change, the current 12-team format would roll forward. The sharpest divide is between the Big Ten and the Southeastern Conference, whose approval is required for any new model. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti, breaking months of public silence, advocated a 16-team bracket that would guarantee four automatic bids apiece to the Big Ten and SEC and allocate the remaining slots as two each to the ACC and Big 12, one to the highest-ranked Group of Five champion and three at-large berths. Petitti said the plan is designed to reward tougher regular-season schedules and limit the selection committee’s influence. SEC officials and coaches have instead floated a rival 5+11 approach that would give just one automatic berth to each Power Four league and the top Group of Five champion, leaving 11 at-large places. The ACC and Big 12 have publicly backed that model, arguing it offers broader access and offsets scheduling differences such as the SEC’s preference for an eight-game conference slate. With the two wealthiest leagues now on opposing sides and unanimity no longer required, negotiations over whether to expand beyond 12 teams—or even maintain automatic bids—remain unsettled. Industry executives fear that without a compromise by December, the playoff could enter the 2026 season unchanged, extending uncertainty for universities, broadcasters and sponsors.