Again I don't have full details but I think something has changed to give more weighting to Big Ten/SEC. Below is a sample quote from one article in the New York Times on future playoff formats.t4pizza wrote: ↑Sun Dec 07, 2025 1:37 pmPretty sure all conference and Notre Dame get equal votes. The SEC and Big10 tried to usurp more power but it didn’t pass. All the conferences are equal in votes.AppInDC wrote: ↑Sun Dec 07, 2025 1:16 pmI'm not sure if any changes need to be unanimous anymore but I don't know the full details. My understanding is SEC and Big Ten now have a larger say but that's all I know.t4pizza wrote: ↑Sun Dec 07, 2025 1:11 pmI actually think the committee got the right teams in this year under the parameters that they work with. I have no problem with 2 G6 teams making the field. But I also don’t pretend that either could compete with any of the other team’s schedules. Nobody ever thought that 2 G6 teams would make it, but they just did. Everyone who thinks the rules will now change to prevent it in the future just remember that all conferences and Noter Dame have a vote. The Sun Belt gets a vote just the same as the SEC gets a vote, now the SEC clearly has more power to influence other votes but they only get a vote. If the other conferences all take a hard stand and stop being bullied by the SEC and BIG10 (18), then who knows what can happens. The Bug 12 and ACC need to realize that their interests align more with the G6 at the end of the day than with the big 2.
From the proposals I have seen, they are still keeping at least spot open for the G5/G6 (when Pac-12 reforms).
The ACC and their members could have prevented this from happening in numerous ways. UVA could have beaten Duke. SMU could have beaten Cal. Duke could have beaten Uconn and Tulane. The conference could have selected better tiebreaks to give Miami or GT a spot in title game. The issue isn't necessarily with the playoff structure. It's because one of the power conferences dropped the ball. If they fix that and actually perform like they are supposed to given their reputation, then James Madison goes goes to New Orleans or Boca Raton and no one has to wring their hands over restructuring of the playoff format.
"The new CFP contracts that go into effect after this season give the Big Ten and SEC the final say over the future of the format — though they do require the two richest conferences to seek input from the others"
The above is very vague so I don't know how much "input" is required from the other conferences even if somehow the Big Ten/SEC have final say.


