Sources: Big 10, SEC eye schedule collaboration

• Heather Dinich, ESPN

  • Senior WriterSep 30, 2024, 11:11 AM ET Close College football
  • press reporter Signed up with ESPN.com in 2007
  • Graduate of Indiana University

Big Ten and SEC athletic directors will go over a possible collaboration in football scheduling, along with their preferences for automated quotes, in the next version of the College Football Playoff.The discussion is to occur at an in-person conference in Nashville, Tennessee, next week, several sources from both conferences informed ESPN on Monday.The meeting

is a continuation of the Huge Ten-SEC joint advisory group, which was formed in February and includes the leagues’ university presidents, chancellors and athletic directors. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and Big 10 commissioner Tony Petitti are scheduled to consult with the athletic directors for one day.Editor’s Picks

1 Associated”There is hope that we can definitely move the needle and make some progress on different things,” one Huge Ten source said.The future scheduling partnership could hinge on whether the SEC ultimately decides to go to nine conference games– a subject one SEC source said hasn’t been a focus of discussions lately. Some Huge Ten athletic directors might push back on any arrangement if the SEC does not move to nine games, because the Big 10 already plays 9 league challengers.”If we’re all going to figure this out,”one source said,” we’ve got to be on equivalent footing. “Sources in both leagues informed ESPN on Monday they would choose to have potentially four automatic quotes each to the playoff when the next contract starts in 2026. CFP leaders have not determined yet what the playoff will appear like beyond this season and next. Some stated they need to know that before making any decisions about future scheduling collaborations.” I’m for anything that gives us the optimum variety of postseason opportunities,”one SEC source said.”I do not count bowl games as postseason opportunities.”Some have actually also revealed interest in limiting the function of the 13-member choice committee– or eliminating it completely.” I believe anything we can do to take the subjectivity of a committee off the table is truly helpful,”the SEC source said.”We might not have the ability to totally eliminate subjectivity the more we

can minimize it. Therefore Tony Petitti’s idea of numerous automatic spots for a conference has a great deal of value. I’m uncertain four is the ideal number.”While the future CFP format is a long method from being identified, ensured quotes for 8 of the 14 playoff areas to the SEC and Big Ten would receive significant pushback from others and currently

has.In March, the CFP and ESPN announced a brand-new six-year, $7.8 billion agreement that goes through the 2031-32 season. ESPN secured a six-year contract that will cost$1.3 billion annually starting in the 2026-27

season. The contract is built as either 11 or 13 games– all of which are championship game– in a 12 -or 14-team field. There are protections in location for the ACC, Big Ten, SEC and Big 12 conference champs, Notre Dame, and the highest-ranked Group of 5 champion in the brand-new contract.In order for some assurances, though, the other FBS conferences and Notre Dame gave up the bulk of control over the future format to the SEC and Big Ten.Sources hesitated to state any concrete choices will be made next week, but Big 10 athletic directors have a routinely arranged meeting Wednesday in which they intend to prepare talking points that could produce “genuine, concrete things.”