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ACC's Jim Phillips cites FSU snub in 2023 in push for 24-team playoff

On3 imageby: Ira Schoffel05/13/26iraschoffel

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. — More than two years after Florida State fans vehemently criticized him for not being more vocal before the Seminoles were snubbed by the College Football Playoff selection committee, ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips cited that decision Wednesday when explaining why the CFP should be expanded to 24 teams.

He also pointed to Notre Dame being left out of the 12-team playoff following the 2025 season.

“When you’re leaving national championship-contending teams, universities, schools out of the playoff, you don’t have the right number,” Phillips said. “We lived through it. We suffered through it with Florida State when the field was four, and I know other schools have suffered for it. And I’ve said this very directly, Notre Dame was a CFP-worthy team this year. They just were.”

Phillips said the ACC presidents have not taken a formal vote on playoff expansion, but there was consensus among the league’s athletics directors and football coaches here this week at the ACC spring meetings that 24 is the best number.

According to reports, the ACC is now aligned with the Big Ten and Big 12 in seeking expansion to 24 teams, while the SEC has expressed interest in moving to 16. When asked if he has gotten any indication that the Southeastern Conference is more open to expanding to 24, Phillips said the Power Four commissioners will speak again in the near future.

“Everybody wanted to get to their spring meetings to have these conversations,” Phillips said. “So, we’ll see what comes out of the SEC meetings and the Big Ten meetings and the Big 12 meetings, but that’s certainly the position of the ACC.”

Phillips said he is open to various models when it comes to choosing the 24 participants in a playoff, as long as there is a level playing field for each of the Power Four conferences. Some earlier models proposed by the Big Ten and SEC had those leagues receiving more automatic bids than the ACC and Big 12.

“I’m open to not automatic bids, I’m open to automatic bids,” Phillips said. “There has to be some equity to it though. You know my position about what was previously shared — a 4-4-2-2 model. I can never accept that. So whatever is best to get the best 24 in, we should be thinking about that and use that as kind of the North Star.”

One of the reasons SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey has mentioned for wanting to stop at 16 playoff teams, at least for now, is making sure that it makes sense from a television revenue perspective.

When Phillips was asked if ESPN has expressed a viewpoint on CFP expansion, he said the network would prefer sticking with 12, 14 or 16 teams.

“That’s important. They’re our partner,” Phillips said. “They’re our partner with the CFP. Obviously, they’re our full partner here as it relates to the ACC. So we’ll continue to talk with them as it relates to the CFP piece of it.”

Phillips later added that CFP executive director Rich Clark’s staff is planning to work with television consultants to map out what the revenues would look like with a 16-team and 24-team playoff. And he said those numbers will help inform a final decision, along with details related to scheduling and the impact on championship games and the bowl system.

“We don’t have all the information,” Phillips said. “We may come back to say, ‘Boy, that 16 may look better.’ But as I sit here right now, I stand by what I’ve indicated. … I’m looking forward to seeing in June what information that the CFP staff comes to us with.”

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