After ACC and others throw support behind 24-team CFP, the ball is now in the SEC's court

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. — In January, the powers that be in college athletics aligned behind a 16-team playoff field — except for one, the Big Ten. Less than five months later, the powers that be have aligned behind a different format, a 24-team model — except for one, the SEC.

There’s a rub, though: The SEC and Big Ten must both agree on a format to adopt a change. All of the other FBS conferences granted authority over future format to the two leagues in an agreement struck in March 2024 as a way to appease them (and keep them from breaking away to start their own postseason). For roughly a year now, the two conferences have been at odds on a variety of issues, most notably playoff expansion.

What does it mean now that the other powers that be — the ACC, Big 12 and Notre Dame — are on board with 24? It means that the CFP’s media consultants are exploring just how much additional revenue from media entities will come with adding 12 teams, 12 games and one round to the playoff. That work started two weeks ago and is expected to culminate in June at an in-person meeting among CFP decision-makers in Denver.

At the center of the decision is whether or not a 24-team field will generate enough additional revenue to recoup the estimated $250 million that will be lost with the elimination of the FBS conference championship games. Greg Sankey and the SEC are now all that stands in the way of a postseason expansion to 24 teams. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / REUTERS The SEC’s title game is worth as much as $100 million, the Big Ten around $75 million, and the ACC and Big 12 games are each at or north of $50 million, according to the leagues’ estimations.