BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti is staying on the sidelines in the debate over expanding the College Football Playoff.
While Cignetti has fresh perspective on the topic as the first team to go 16-0 since Yale in 1894, he’s leaving those discussions up to college football’s power brokers.
“I don’t direct my attention to things I really have no control of,” Cignetti said before speaking in Carmel on Thursday night.
The proposal to expand the College Football Playoff to 24 teams has gained additional support in recent weeks with the ACC and Big 12 jumping on board. The American Football Coaches Association’s (AFCA) also threw its support of expanding the Playoff field. The AFCA recommended eliminating conference championship games and completing the season by the second Monday in January.
Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti initially floated the idea ahead of the 2025 season as the Power Four conferences debated the future of the Playoffs. The CFP will stick with the current 12-team format for the 2026 season, but talks are ongoing over future expansion.
The topic has been front and center at the various spring meetings taking place this month. The annual sit downs for each conference bring together coaches, athletic directors and university presidents to discuss current issues. The SEC is set to met in Destin on May 26 as they have yet to publicly support a 24-team format.
“Tony is a big proponent of 24. I support Tony,” Cignetti said. “He’s done a great job with our conference moving forward. We continue to expand and get better. And so whatever it is, it is.”
Cignetti’s view puts him in lockstep with his own athletic director Scott Dolson, who has also been supportive of Petitti’s approach on expansion. The conferences have plenty of time to unite behind the 24-team format with ESPN, the CFP’s broadcast partner, previously setting a deadline of Dec. 1 each year to make any changes.
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: What does Indiana football’s Curt Cignetti think about CFP expansion
Reporting by Michael Niziolek, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
