While the College Football Playoff is nearing expansion to 14 teams in 2026, the proposed idea to give the SEC and Big Ten Champions guaranteed byes is "starting to lose some steam" per ESPN's Heather Dinich.
As momentum picked up for a 14-team College Football Playoff, a proposed 3-3-2-2-1 model featured three automatic spots for the Big Ten and SEC—two of those spots belonging to the conference champions, which would earn two first-round byes.
Dinich noted that the details for the 14-team playoff likely won't be determined ahead of the TV contract, which is on target to be completed in the coming weeks.