MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher: "A larger playoff alone does not define progress"

The college football world got a major jolt on Monday afternoon, as the College Football Playoff and ESPN announced a formal agreement to expand the CFP from 12 teams to 24 teams, effective 2027.

Under the new format, the four champions of the autonomous conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big XII and SEC) would be guaranteed a spot in the Playoff bracket, with 19 at-large spots– including one spot for the highest-ranked mid-major conference team.

First-and-second round contests are set to be played on the campus of the higher-seed program, with games from Thursday to Saturday on both weekends. The rest of the schedule is unaffected from the 12-team format.

To help facilitate the move, the autonomous conferences announced the discontinuation of their respective championship games, with each conference naming a champion using their own bylaws. Autonomous conferences have also agreed to play 10 games against autonomous conference teams per season for eligibility.

Under the new format, the ratio of mid-major schools to at-large autonomous schools has shrunk by half, earning no new spots. The CFP, initially established in 2014, has assured the highest-ranked mid-major conference champion a guaranteed Playoff spot since adoption of the 12-team format in 2024.

The various conferences of the Football Bowl Subdivision level have released statements regarding the CFP expansion over the last few hours, mostly in support.

However, Mid-American Conference commissioner Jon Steinbrecher, released a statement on Monday morning critiquing the long-term goals of the 24-team format– to date, the only public pushback from an FBS conference.

Below is the full statement:

The Mid-American Conference has long advocated for greater access to the College Football Playoff and meaningful opportunities for our student-athletes to compete for a national championship. We are pleased the MAC will have a place in an expanded 24-team playoff. At the same time, I believe we must ask an important question: does continued expansion truly strengthen college football as a whole?

One of the greatest attributes of college football is the significance of its regular season. Every game matters. Rivalries matter. Conference championships matter. As we expand the postseason, we must be careful not to diminish the very qualities that have made college football such a compelling sport. We must also recognize that a larger playoff does not necessarily mean greater financial benefits for all conferences and institutions, making the long-term sustainability of the entire FBS an important consideration.

The expansion of the playoff creates opportunities, but a larger playoff alone does not define progress. Ultimately, the success of this new format will be measured by whether it strengthens college football as a whole, not simply by the number of teams competing for a national championship.

Steinbrecher went public with expansion discussions back in October during an interview with Adam Jaksa of the Chippewa Radio Network, saying he was "not a fan" of the proposition and expressed as such in oversight meetings, but that expansion was a decided issue.

Steinbrecher stopped short of advocating for automatic spots for all mid-major champions in the CFP or for a separate mid-major playoff, which has been socialized in administrative discussions– primarily by American Conference commissioner Tim Pernetti.

Even so, Steinbrecher's opposition is notable; it sits in direct opposition to the Power conferences and several mid-major peers, including the Sun Belt Conference, which supported the expansion via statement from commissioner Keith Gill.

The Mountain West Conference offered a neutral statement to Fox Sports' Ben Portnoy, saying they will "continue the analysis of this development with our member institutions and stakeholders."

The American Conference came out in support via press statement, calling the expansion "a common-sense approach" which expands access and strengthens schedules across the board to "deliver meaningful competition and memorable experiences for fans."

Conference USA commissioner Judy McLeod lauded the expansion in a statement, praising in particular its commitment to protecting the guaranteed mid-major spot.

(As of publication, only the PAC-12 has not released a comment.)

This is a developing story, and will be updated as more information comes in.