FRISCO, Texas — Large 12 commissioner Brett Yormark is “doubling down” on the so-called 5+11 future School Soccer Playoff format, whereas acknowledging that it would profit his league extra sooner or later than at the moment.
The Large 12 and ACC have pushed the mannequin, which might award automated bids to the 5 highest-rated convention champions, plus 11 at-large bids decided by the CFP choice committee. The 5+11 mannequin gained some help on the SEC’s spring conferences, whereas the Large Ten has targeted extra on a mannequin that may award 4 automated bids to Large Ten groups and to SEC groups, plus two apiece to the Large 12 and the ACC.
Yormark, his fellow commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua should decide the CFP format for 2026 and past by Dec. 1.
The Large 12 had just one consultant, champion Arizona State, within the inaugural 12-team CFP final 12 months. Arizona State misplaced to Texas in two overtimes in a CFP quarterfinal matchup on the Peach Bowl.
“5-11 is truthful,” Yormark stated Tuesday in his opening deal with at Large 12 media days at The Star. “We wish to earn it on the sphere. It may not be the very best answer as we speak for the Large 12 … however long-term, figuring out the progress we’re making, the investments we’re making, it is the precise format for us. And I am doubling down as we speak on 5+11.”
Yormark added that he expects ACC commissioner Jim Phillips to take the identical place when that league holds its media days this month in Charlotte, North Carolina. The ACC despatched two groups, champion Clemson and runner-up SMU, to the 12-team playoff final 12 months. Yormark touted the Large 12 because the “deepest soccer convention in America” and stated he believes the league may have a number of CFP entries this season.
“I’ve loads of religion within the choice course of,” Yormark stated. “They’re doing a full audit of the choice course of to determine how they will modernize and contemporize and the way they use knowledge and the way sure metrics might be extra closely weighted.”
Yormark informed ESPN that he is “comparatively assured” that the CFP will go to 16 groups in 2026 and laid out the subsequent steps to creating it occur.
“Step one is we bought to determine, with the choice course of, we’re sort of doing a deep dive,” he stated. “The place can we enhance it? The place can we modernize it? Are we utilizing the precise metrics? Are issues weighted appropriately or not? So we’re going by that dialog, and I believe on the heels of that, we’ll transfer into the format as a result of I believe for the room folks must get assured, extra assured, in that choice course of. And assuming they do, which I am assured they’ll, we’ll be capable of then deal with the format that is sensible.”
In March, the CFP named a Large 12 athletic director, Baylor’s Mack Rhoades, because the chair of its choice committee. Yormark stated that along with schedule power, “new metrics” might be added to the choice course of to make sure equity to all conferences.
The Large 12 may have the Week 0 stage as Iowa State and Kansas State renew their rivalry in Dublin. Different key nonleague Large 12 matchups embrace Baylor-Auburn, Baylor-SMU and Iowa State-Iowa.
“I am assured we’ll get to the precise place,” Yormark stated. “And in the end, I am assured we’ll go to five+11.”
ESPN’s Pete Thamel contributed to this report.