Whether or not tweaks to the Faculty Soccer Playoff choice course of will likely be sufficient to stave off a swap to an automated qualifier-heavy mannequin will likely be on the coronary heart of discussions this week in Asheville, North Carolina, when 10 convention commissioners and Notre Dame’s athletic director meet.
The conferences, which start Tuesday and run till Wednesday afternoon, are anticipated to middle on the energy of schedule element of the choice course of that has develop into a sizzling subject within the aftermath of convention conferences in Might. The SEC, specifically, has been outspoken in regards to the have to revamp a course of it believes didn’t correctly account for its convention prowess final season when it not noted Alabama, Ole Miss and South Carolina from the 12-team discipline. It even distributed a seven-page memo entitled “A Regular Season Gauntlet” to assembled media members after its spring conferences final month in Florida.
Within the aftermath of the cacophony of feedback from SEC leaders questioning the necessity for a variety committee altogether, together with from former member Scott Stricklin, CFP government director Wealthy Clark will current knowledge on energy of schedule and focus on doable tweaks to the SOS metric, sources accustomed to the state of affairs advised CBS Sports activities.
repair the Faculty Soccer Playoff: Format, schedule modifications needed with growth on the horizon
Tom Fornelli
What these tweaks is likely to be and the way SEC commissioner Greg Sankey receives them may have a serious affect on the way forward for the CFP.
Battle brewing between Large Ten, SEC?
Since negotiating management over the way forward for the CFP format and a much bigger minimize of the cash (29% to every convention), the Large Ten and SEC have largely been in lockstep on the foremost points. Sankey and Large Ten commissioner Tony Petitti developed a powerful working relationship — one Sankey by no means had with Petitti’s predecessor, Kevin Warren — and introduced the 2 conferences nearer along with historic joint conferences in Nashville and New Orleans during the last eight months.
These shared sensibilities embrace momentum behind the Large Ten’s most popular revamping of the playoff to a mannequin that might award 4 automated bids every to the Large Ten and SEC, two every to the ACC and Large 12, one to the highest Group of 6 group and the rest to at-large groups. The SEC had seemingly rallied across the thought, with Sankey saying final month the convention was “interested but not committed.” That modified after important backlash from the convention’s soccer coaches, main a number of SEC sources to foretell that the convention would keep on with eight convention video games and facet with the ACC and Large 12’s most popular 5+11 mannequin, which awards 5 automated bids to convention champions and the remainder to the highest 11 groups.
The SEC seems open to persevering with with a variety committee however one which tweaks the at present used metrics and weighs the energy of schedule extra closely than it has up to now. Such a growth wouldn’t require a transfer to an AQ-heavy format. The important thing, for SEC leaders, is that they need to be rewarded for a way troublesome they imagine it’s to win within the convention.
“The human element is great, but there’s got to be some more clearly defined metrics,” Mississippi State AD Zac Selmon just lately advised CBS Sports activities. “I’ve worked in different conferences before — two different power conferences (ACC, Big 12) — and when you look at the depth from top to bottom of our league, it’s night and day compared to what other people say.”
Apparently, the SOS metrics usually favored the SEC over the committee’s rankings final season. The convention normally had the highest-ranked one-, two- and three-loss groups. ESPN’s Soccer Energy Index (FPI), one of many metrics cited within the SEC’s gauntlet memo, preliminary 2025 season SOS rankings give the SEC the complete prime 10 of hardest schedules.
“Adding any new data points in is not going to necessarily cure what’s been a pretty dominant thought (process),” a Large Ten supply stated. “It’s always going to come back to this subjective mindset.”
The SEC’s common season gauntlet memo signaled to Large Ten leaders that the convention simply needs a formulation that proclaims it’s the finest, somewhat than any actual modifications. The Large Ten is extra satisfied than ever that extra AQs are the one method to repair the issues, not a tweaked SOS metric, in response to Large Ten sources with direct data of the state of affairs. On the coronary heart of the Large Ten’s argument, they are saying, is the assumption that extra automated qualifiers (and a possible play-in championship weekend) would preserve extra program fanbases invested later into the season, which finally results in higher fan attendance and tv scores.
“In a model where it’s 5-11, there’s no amount of data you can pour through to figure out who’s better between the fourth-place Big Ten team, the fourth-place SEC team and the second-place Big 12 team,” stated a Large Ten supply. “I recognize people think there are solutions. We’ve studied it a whole lot and there’s not a whole lot that you can do to tweak it.”
A part of the problem is the unequal quantity of convention video games performed inside the Energy 4 conferences. The Large Ten and Large 12 play 9 convention video games whereas the ACC and SEC play eight. Past that, there may be the priority in regards to the reliance on enjoying FCS opponents with some pushing for no less than 10 video games towards Energy 4 opponents.
For the upcoming 2025 season, right here is how every convention’s schedule breaks down.
The 8 vs. 9 convention video games debate is predicted to be a outstanding a part of this week’s discussions. The SEC has basically said that it needs to be taught extra about the way forward for the playoff format earlier than making a call on whether or not to develop to 9 video games. The Large Ten is particularly bored with a 5+11 format if the SEC sticks to eight convention video games, in response to sources. The SEC is conscious of that, and there are some inside the convention that imagine it’s even much less prone to transfer to 9 convention video games and provides in to what the Large Ten needs. Primarily based on its memo that confirmed it ranks No. 1 in quite a few metrics, together with SOS and energy of report (SOR) during the last decade, the SEC already believes its scheduling is hard sufficient with eight video games.
Ought to the SEC decide to stay with eight convention video games because the Large Ten stays at 9, the widely-speculated scheduling of a Large Ten-SEC showcase pitting all 16 SEC groups towards a Large Ten rival is probably going off the desk, a Large Ten supply stated. “That wouldn’t make sense for our guys to add another tough game.”
In the meantime, the Large Ten is making ready to battle the SEC within the boardroom ought to the convention push its strength-of-schedule argument, in response to sources. The Large Ten has been busy finding out metrics and evaluating its convention to the SEC’s resume. As an example, the SEC performed extra non-power opponents final season than some other Energy 4 convention. Moreover, Texas was the one SEC group to not schedule an FCS opponent. 9 of 18 Large Ten groups didn’t play an FCS opponent.
In 2025, solely six Energy 4 colleges will play 10 Energy 4 video games and 0 FCS video games: Colorado, Michigan, Stanford, UCLA, USC and Wisconsin.
The forgotten compromise
In March 2024, a unique multi-AQ mannequin for a 14-team Faculty Soccer Playoff was introduced and supported by the Large Ten and SEC, however it was instantly rejected by the opposite main conferences.
In hindsight, the format might need been the proper compromise to settle the talk between the 2 main fashions (4 AQs; 5+11) on the middle of discussions this week.
The mannequin socialized 15 months in the past was a 14-team playoff that might have awarded three automated bids every to the Large Ten and SEC and two apiece to the ACC and Large 12. The sphere can be full of the highest-ranked Group of 6 champion and three at-large choices.
Had the ACC and Large 12 not killed the proposal within the media, that mannequin probably would have been pushed ahead and adopted beginning with the 2026 season, a supply concerned within the discussions stated. As an alternative, the discontent from the ACC and Large 12 led to extra ideas, and the voices with the voting energy — Large Ten and SEC — countered with a 4-4-2-2-1-3 format in a 16-team discipline.
A quick-approaching deadline
After two years of debate, this week is all shaping up for an fascinating showdown between the 2 strongest conferences, although with some fascinating real-world dynamics affecting the ambiance. ACC commissioner Jim Phillips will lead the conferences and Large Ten commissioner Petitti will attend nearly on account of a surgical process on his hip earlier this month, sources stated.
The Large Ten and SEC’s variations received’t be resolved this week, as no main format modifications are anticipated to happen, however it’ll be an early indicator of whether or not the Large Ten and SEC are nonetheless shifting ahead collectively in tandem or if a break up is inevitable. The 2 have the ability to drive a format change on their needs alone primarily based on their interpretation of the newest CFP contract, but when the SEC is totally off the AQ mannequin, it may go away the Large Ten on an island.
And if that’s the end result popping out of the North Carolina conferences, the probability of the 12-team format with straight seeding persevering with in 2026 will increase. The deadline to decide for the 2026 season is Dec. 1, so there will likely be extra conferences and loads of time for dialogue, however a stalemate between the Energy 2 stalls what as soon as felt like a near-inevitable growth to a 16-team playoff.
