Sources: CFP automobile byes might be axed after protest

• Heather Dinich, ESPN

  • Senior Citizen WriterMar 8, 2024, 12:09 PM ET Close College football reporter
  • Signed up with ESPN.com in 2007
  • Graduate of Indiana University

College Football Playoff leaders are inching closer to a 14-team playoff for the 2026 season, however sources have suggested that the proposed idea of the SEC and Big 10 champions getting ensured byes is beginning to lose some steam amongst conference commissioners following public backlash.It’s most likely the information of the 14-team format aren’t identified in advance of the television contract, which sources said stays on target to be carried out in the coming weeks. CFP leaders wish to guarantee they are lined up on income distribution and CFP governance before signing the television deal, and they have had numerous conferences and calls recently to make progress in both areas.While there continues to be support for a 14-team field starting in 2026, discussions about how teams ought to qualify for the CFP stay a sticking point. Commissioners are still debating whether conferences must have automated qualifiers and, if so, the number of for each. ESPN recently reported that the Big Ten and SEC had actually asked that their respective conference champs get the only two byes in a 14-team field– an undesirable proposition that was met with substantial pushback.Editor’s Picks 1 Associated”Automatic first-round byes for the Big Ten and SEC resembles the NFL saying the Cowboys get a first-round bye given that they have more fans than the

Bengals,”TCU coach Sonny Dykes told ESPN recently.”How unbelievable is that?”Sources cautioned that as long as the format is up for argument, all choices will be thought about but that” some things will be punted “up until after the television offer is done. It’s possible that CFP leaders will wait to see how the 12-team format unfolds this season, but sources have suggested they would like a resolution faster than later.The CFP will utilize a 12-team format for the first time in the 2024 season. The 5 highest-ranked conference champions will make a guaranteed area, followed by the next seven highest-ranked groups. The 4 highest-ranked conference

champs will receive a first-round bye. The 12-team playoff will continue for the 2025 season.Revenue will continue to tilt towards the Big Ten and SEC in the next television agreement, but settlements are ongoing as they connect to other allowances. The ACC is expected to receive somewhat more than the Huge 12 since of its previous playoff participants, but that small distinction is a win for the Big 12 since of the variation in past playoff participants. The ACC has had 6 CFP semifinalists, while TCU is the only present Huge 12 team to reach a CFP semifinal as a member of the league. Big 12 member Cincinnati earned a CFP berth in the 2020 season when it was a member of the American Athletic Conference.