College Football Playoff management bullish on expansion and home sites, deadlocked on auto bids

IRVING, Texas — SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has been at the DFW Airport Hyatt three times over the last several months for various College Football Playoff Management committee meetings. 

“I’ve had the same exact room twice in this hotel,” Sankey said. “How many rooms are in this hotel? And I’ve had the same exact room twice. So there is a Groundhog Day factor.” 

The committee has reached agreement that the playoff should expand, with most in favor of playing games on campus. However, Brett McMurphy reports that the primary issue remains automatic Power Five bids, the same holdup as previous meetings. 

Since June 10 — when a CFP working group revealed a proposed 12-team model — the 10 commissioners that make up the FBS have met six times hoping to come to a consensus on the details. There was optimism that Dec. 1 could finally be decision day. 

“There isn’t any way to dance around it, we’re working through hard issues and we disagree sometimes,” said Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby. “I thought there was a chance we’d get to the end right now. We didn’t.” 

The qualms most likely come from The Alliance, the tenuous agreement between the ACC, Pac-12 and Big Ten. Had the 12-team playoff existed in 2020, the Pac-12 would have missed out on an auto bid in favor of AAC champ Cincinnati and Sun Belt champ Coastal Carolina. That same situation could’ve theoretically happened this year, as No. 19 San Diego State and No. 24 Louisiana are within striking distance.

“We continue to make progress, but a variety of issues remain,” said Bill Hancock, the playoff’s executive director, in a statement. “The commissioners will meet again to see if the remaining items can be settled. The possibility of expansion is complicated and has multiple issues…

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