The already chaotic world of college football is still digesting the highly complex logistics of how to expand the College Football Playoff from 12 to 16 teams. Now, a much more radical notion for the sport’s top event is making the rounds. 

The Big Ten, led by commissioner Tony Petitti, is considering a far larger CFP expansion to 24 or 28 teams, according to multiple reports. While still very much just an idea, and not something that’s been formally proposed, the concept was almost simultaneously disseminated Saturday afternoon by several top college football reporters, and with similar phrasing, signaling the conference’s keen interest in an even larger CFP format. 

In a 28-team CFP model, the Big Ten and SEC would each receive seven automatic bids, while the ACC and Big 12 would each get five, with two automatic bids for non-Power 4 conferences and two additional at-large berths. 

The enlarged structure, in addition to deepening the already massive power of the Big Ten and SEC, would see as many as 20 of the games played on college campuses—significantly enlarging the element of the tournament that debuted last year. 

A potential elimination of conference title games would help accommodate the additional CFP games from a timing and scheduling standpoint. Discussion of the far larger format arrives as negotiations between Power Four conferences and the rest of college football on a 16-team structure have stalled, in part from disagreement on how to allocate automatic bids.

Initial reaction to the latest concept, however, was harsh in many corners, with complaints ranging from the impact on prominent football independents such as Notre Dame to rewarding non-elite teams.

“Can someone go unplug the Big Ten and plug it back in please?” posted ESPN’s Bill Connelly on social media. “They’re trying to make ’16 teams with autobids’ seem rational and acceptable, and it sucks so much.”

Postseason expansion, however, is not a new concept for Petitti. While at MLB for more than a decade, ultimately as deputy commissioner, he was part of a leadership team that introduced several changes to that league’s playoffs, including a new wild-card format. 

This year’s CFP will again be a 12-team format, and there is a Dec. 1 deadline to finalize the format for 2026. 

The University of Michigan said it intends to appeal the minimum $20 million fine assessed by the NCAA on Friday as part of the school’s sign-stealing scandal. The Wolverines’ former coach at the helm during the offenses, however, is staying as far away from the situation as possible. 

Soon after the NCAA levied the stronger-than-expected penalty, the school pushed back, saying the governing body erred in reaching its conclusions. In addition to the monetary fine, the findings also led to additional penalties such as reductions in football recruiting activity and a four-year probation designation. 

“In a number of instances, the decision makes fundamental errors in interpreting NCAA bylaws; and it includes a number of conclusions that are directly contrary to the evidence—or lack of evidence—in the record,” Michigan said in a statement. “We will appeal this decision to ensure a fair result, and we will consider all other options.”

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel, for his part, said he was relieved that the findings did not lead to a reduction in postseason opportunities, but added, “a postseason ban should never have been a consideration in this case. I fully support the university’s decision to pursue an appeal.”

A key motivation for the forthcoming appeal, and not simply moving on from the matter as quickly as possible, is the amount of money involved. Michigan’s total fine could ultimately exceed $30 million, depending in part on football postseason revenue sharing in 2025 and 2026 that will be forfeited as part of the sanctions. Such a figure would nearly quadruple the current NCAA record fine in an infractions case, an $8 million penalty assessed on the University of Tennessee in 2023 for recruiting violations. 

A formal notification of appeal is expected in the coming days, which will trigger an extended back-and-forth between the school and NCAA before the organization’s Infractions Appeal Committee. 

Harbaugh Is Mum

Jim Harbaugh, who led Michigan to the 2023 national title and is now head coach of the NFL’s Chargers, refused to address the matter late Saturday after his current team dropped a preseason game to the Rams.

“Like I said to you last year, not engaging,” Harbaugh said. “Not engaging.”

Harbaugh has consistently maintained his innocence and that he did not know about the sign-stealing being done by former Michigan football staff member Connor Stalions. The NCAA’s findings, however, pointed to “overwhelming” evidence of a cover-up by Wolverines staff, and that Harbaugh “failed to demonstrate that he adequately promoted compliance or monitored his program.” 

Additionally, Harbaugh is effectively restricted from collegiate athletic activities until August 2038, when he’ll be 74.

The prospect of the NFL holding a Super Bowl in the U.K., while still somewhat theoretical, has gained another notable supporter. 

Peter Mandelson, the British ambassador to the U.S., told the Chicago Council on Global Affairs that he’s making a full-fledged effort to bring the league’s title game to his country.

“I’ve made a big pitch for the first Super Bowl outside the U.S. to take place in Britain,” Mandelson told the council. “I want that Super Bowl in Britain. I don’t care when it takes place, but I want it announced while I’m ambassador. We love it, we love it.”

Long before Mandelson’s latest comments, the NFL had been steadily warming to the idea of bringing the Super Bowl to London. Last fall, in the midst of a series of international games, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said “it wouldn’t surprise me at all if that happens one day.”

London, meanwhile, has actively positioned itself as a center for top-tier global sports events, in keeping with Mandelson’s sentiments, while city mayor Sadiq Khan made a somewhat similar call last year for a Super Bowl there.

Broader Landscape

The next three Super Bowl host locations are set, with California’s Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Atlanta, in that order, set for the upcoming games through 2028. After that, though, the rotation is open, and competition is expected from new, domestic NFL facilities such as the one under construction in Nashville and another forthcoming in Washington. 

Meanwhile, the NFL will play its largest-ever slate of international games in 2025, with seven overseas games, including three more in London, continuing a regular run of events there by the league since 2007 and showcasing the league’s increasing global focus. This season’s international contests are expected to be a forerunner to a full-season slate of non-U.S. games.

Playing a Super Bowl internationally, however, will have additional considerations, particularly around U.S. media and managing logistics across a broader set of time zones. The Super Bowl is the single largest event in American television, and Super Bowl LIX in February drew a domestic-record audience of 127.7 million. 

The game’s traditional start time, around 6:30 p.m ET, is carefully chosen to help maximize viewership across the continental U.S., and keeping that kickoff time would mean an 11:30 p.m. local start in the U.K. As a result, some type of adjustment is likely if the game were to head there.