American commissioner Tim Pernetti pushing for Group of Six playoff with a twist

TL;DR

Tim Pernetti is advocating for a standalone Group of Six playoff in college football, aimed at the five conference champions not receiving CFP automatic bids. This proposal includes semifinals during the CFP semifinal week.

Key points

Tim Pernetti is advocating for a Group of Six playoff.
The proposal targets five conference champions without CFP bids.
Semifinals would occur during CFP semifinal week.
The existing automatic bid to the CFP remains unchanged.

Mentioned in this story

Tim Pernetti

College Football PlayoffGroup of Six

Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images

The Group of Six playoff idea is one of those college football topics that tends to come up every year and go nowhere fast. Tim Pernetti is trying to change that.

Pernetti first floated the idea at his introductory press conference in spring 2024, before he’d even officially started the job. He wasn’t lobbying for more CFP spots. He knew the six-year deal was locked and the Group of Six’s automatic bid was what it was. The American had earned that bid last season and nearly did the year before. What he said instead was that there was room for more.

What that means in practice is a standalone Group of Six playoff for the five conference champions who don’t earn the CFP’s automatic bid. The semifinals would be played on Tuesday and Wednesday of CFP semifinal week, with the CFP games following on Thursday. The Group of Six’s existing automatic bid to the CFP remains unchanged.

“There is demand for more postseason football,” Pernetti recently said on The Big Mountain Podcast, per Football Scoop. “You have five conference champions that are not going to the Playoff. How do we create a new enterprise that complements the CFP? Maybe we play on Tuesday and Wednesday, leading into Thursday. There’s a gap there — from Sunday NFL, Monday Night Football, Group of Six playoff, Group of Six playoff, CFP, CFP, back to the NFL. You could create the greatest gauntlet for a football fan ever seen in life by doing something like that.”

And based on what he said this week, people are starting to listen.

“We are having discussions about it, just knocking around the idea,” Pernetti added. “I think there’s something to it because it’s a new enterprise: best-on-best in the Group of Six. There’s a lot of folks out there from the brand and media side that are really interested in knowing more about this. I think we have a responsibility to run that idea out and see what it looks like, and make a decision on whether or not it makes sense to pursue it.”

Q&A

What is Tim Pernetti's proposal for the Group of Six playoff?

Tim Pernetti proposes a standalone Group of Six playoff for the five conference champions that do not receive automatic bids to the College Football Playoff (CFP).

When would the Group of Six playoff semifinals take place?

The semifinals for the Group of Six playoff would be held on Tuesday and Wednesday of the CFP semifinal week.

How does the Group of Six playoff affect the current CFP structure?

The Group of Six playoff would not change the existing automatic bid for the Group of Six to the CFP, allowing for an additional playoff opportunity.

What are the implications of a standalone Group of Six playoff?

A standalone Group of Six playoff could provide more visibility and opportunities for teams outside the Power Five conferences, enhancing competition in college football.