The Big Ten placed six teams in the top 25 of both the preseason AP Poll and CBS Sports 136, including Illinois, Indiana and Michigan in the upper tier. Others are lurking, as Iowa, Nebraska and USC could challenge the SEC's depth if they exceed expectations in 2025.

Leaders in the Big Ten are considering an idea to expand the College Football Playoff to 24 or 28 teams in the future, according to a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Big Ten executives are socializing 24 and 28-team College Football Playoff brackets that feature as many as seven automatic qualifiers each for the Big Ten and SEC.

The race to the 2025 College Football Playoff -- this time with a straight seeding model -- begins now in what could be the final year of the 12-team bracket. As conversations continue on a potential 14-,

CBS Sports releases preseason projections for the College Football Playoff, with the SEC leading the predictions.

According to Thamel, the new model proposed by the Big Ten suggests eliminating conference title games and awarding more auto bids for the four power conferences. In a 28-team playoff, the Big Ten and SEC would receive seven auto bids each, while the ACC and Big 12 would get five auto bids each, per Thamel.

If the Big Ten’s new proposal does indeed take shape but stops at 24 teams, the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) will also have the same number of teams as the FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) playoff format. In the new format, up to 20 games will take place on campus before advancing to the bowl games in later rounds.

We are officially a week away from Week 0 of the college football season, which means the media knows as much about SEC teams as