College Football Turns to Adam Silver’s NBA for Answers Amid Looming Playoff Seeding Controversy

The SEC and Big Ten? They’re not just angling for a seat at the College Football Playoff table—they’re trying to buy the whole damn restaurant. Imagine it: approve this 14-team CFP expansion, and they get to pick the appetizers, main course, and dessert. We’re talking 4 AQs for the Big Ten, 4 for the SEC, 2 for the ACC, 2 for the Big 12, 1 for the Group of Five, and an at-large pick. This isn’t just about more playoff berths; it’s a full-on revolution. Their success? It’d reshape college football forever.

But here’s the rub: everyone’s screaming about it, and the big fear is the regular season losing its teeth. If those power conferences get four automatic bids each, teams might start coasting. Think NFL teams resting starters once they’ve clinched a spot. Or worse, the Philadelphia Eagles’ infamous tank job—strategic, sure, but a slap in the face to fans wanting every game to matter.

So, how do you fix it? That’s where the NBA might just have the playbook. CFB insider John Talty’s got a solution, and it sounds suspiciously like Adam Silver’s world. He says, “I think what you have to do is you have to make it worth their while. And so I think, you know, some of the kind of ideas being floated around right now. One of them is almost kind of like the NBA play in what we’re seeing in the playoff with the NBA. So you might have, you know, an NBA at 7-10, versus 8-9 for those final two spots. So if you’re the SEC, you can do some combination of 3 vs. 6, 4 vs. 5, terms of how they finish in the regular season, and have that as kind of a play-in championship weekend.”

Basically, an NBA-style play-in tournament for college football. The 7th and 8th seeds play; the winner gets the 7th spot. 9th and 10th play, loser’s out. Then, the loser of the 7/8 game plays the winner of the 9/10 game for the 8th seed. Pros? 7th and 8th seeds get a second chance. Cons? 9th and 10th have to win back-to-back.

Imagine the SEC: third-ranked team vs. sixth, fourth vs. fifth, all fighting for a playoff spot. That keeps teams hungry, late-season games electric, and stops teams from just cruising on automatic bids. And get this—it could actually make conference championships more engaging. With a 14-team playoff, those title games could be like quasi-quarterfinals. Win the Big Ten or SEC title; maybe you get a bye. That’s huge, especially as the toll of extra games piles up. Teams would still have to scrap for the position.

Heck, why not turn championship weekend into a full-blown playoff kickoff? SEC and Big Ten host four play-in games each, winners get those automatic bids. It’s the NBA play-in, college football style. More excitement, more fan engagement, and yeah, more money. Conference championships become do-or-die showdowns.

But here’s the elephant in the room: what about the small programs? Are they just getting squeezed out of the picture?

The new expanded playoff system might take a toll on small programs

While the power conferences forge ahead with their plans, smaller leagues like the AAC, Conference USA, and the Sun Belt are left observing from the sidelines. The Big Ten and SEC have already held discussions with the ACC and Big 12, excluding the non-power conferences from key pre-CFP meeting talks. Sun Belt commissioner Keith Gill, though expressing a desire to hear all perspectives, remains understandably skeptical, given the clear control exerted by the power leagues.

Now, this shift diminishes the influence of the CFP selection committee, reducing its role in determining at-large bids and placing greater emphasis on conference standings. This move appears to draw parallels with the NBA’s operational model, where postseason decisions are heavily influenced by TV deals that prioritize marquee names over maintaining pure competitive balance. However, unlike the NBA, which is a professional league with revenue sharing, college football’s amateur status and decentralized structure magnify the power imbalance. This makes the smaller conferences’ fight for relevance even more critical. Smaller conferences are likely to resist these changes, seeking a compromise to ensure their continued participation and relevance.

However, as the CFP transitions into a system dominated by lucrative TV contracts and high-profile matchups, the Big Ten and SEC are assuming a leadership role, much like Adam Silver in the NBA. The future of college football’s postseason seems increasingly focused on maximizing revenue, ensuring prominent brands a guaranteed place, even if it necessitates rewriting the rules to secure their presence rather than prioritizing a level playing field.