This week’s mailbag questions were predominantly centered on the sport’s most pressing concern right now: How do we stop this 24-team monstrosity?But I got a really fun World Cup-college football question as well.I get why the 24-game expansion is gaining ground. I don’t even mind that conference championships may go away with an expanded College Football Playoff. But do you think cooler heads will prevail here? Because 16 seems like a good, round number that shakes out well in a bracket. — Patrick B.Given the new CFP contract structure, only two sets of heads matter: the Big Ten’s and the SEC’s. They have sole decision-making authority over the future format.After talking to various parties, I’m fairly certain the Big Ten isn’t backing down. The commissioner, athletic directors and coaches want 24 or nothing and are willing to wait things out, even if it means this stays at 12 for another year or more.The SEC’s position is more complicated for several reasons: 1. Greg Sankey is unconvinced 24 can work without ruining the regular season but isn’t going to shoot it down publicly. He told reporters this week not to expect any decisions anytime soon. 2) His coaches and athletic directors are split in their opinions. “What does Mike Elko want? 40 (teams). Then I won’t get fired. … (But) it’s OK for it to be hard to get into the Playoff,” Texas A&M’s coach said this week. 3. Ending the SEC championship game is a much harder decision than in the other leagues. For three decades, it’s sold out every year and generates $100 million for the conference. 4. ESPN is the SEC’s most important partner by a million miles, and ESPN absolutely does not want a 24-team Playoff.The most logical, “cooler heads” solution would be to compromise. Go to 16 teams in 2027, with an agreement to further explore 24 when the contract ends in 2031. But when this idea last came up in December, Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti wanted a firmer commitment to expand from 16 to 24 in the next few years. The SEC wasn’t ready to go there. And I don’t see the Big Ten settling for anything less now that it has so many other parties (ACC, Big 12, Notre Dame, AFCA) in its corner.We’re now roughly 16 months into this stalemate. On the one hand, it would be nice if the sides could compromise so we don’t have to keep living in this purgatory. On the other hand, the longer they remain at odds, the longer this thing stays at 12, which, despite indications to the contrary, has thus far been a success, not a crisis.As a fan of a normal college football team (Oklahoma State), why shouldn’t I want a 24-team playoff?Percentage of teams included in the league’s playoffs: