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The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/OnlyMamaKnows on 2024-03-01 16:25:54.
Most of the headlines accompanying the recent discussion of a 14-team College Football Playoff have focused on the Big Ten and the SEC, and understandably so. The two most influential conferences’ consideration of a model in which they receive three automatic qualifying spots each and both first-round byes in a 3-3-2-2-1 AQ format is an unprecedented and obvious power play.
But the fate of the CFP may actually hinge on the other two Power 4 conferences. Only the ACC and the Big 12 had any real power to push back on the initial suggestions of as many as four automatic qualifying spots for the Big Ten and SEC.
Now it’s the ACC and Big 12 with the toughest decisions to make. In the 3-3-2-2-1 model, those two conferences have the most to gain and the most to lose. In exchange for more guaranteed CFP access, they would solidify themselves as second-class conferences. That’s an offer on the table (among other options, yes, but this model has gained the most traction, according to sources familiar with the discussions).