CFP: No format modifications until ACC ‘dust settles’

• Heather Dinich, ESPN Elder WriterAug 30, 2023, 06:44 PM ET

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  • College football reporter
  • Signed up with ESPN.com in 2007
  • Graduate of Indiana University

IRVING, Texas– For the first time since the Pac-12 was gutted by adjustment, the 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick met Wednesday to talk about the future of the College Football Playoff in a meeting that was referred to as “cordial,” however with a background of uncertainty still towering above the league leaders.If the Pac-12 liquifies in 2024, as lots of anticipate it to, the CFP might alter how it selects the teams in the broadened 12-team format, which likewise begins in 2024. The existing model consists of the six highest-ranked conference champs plus the next six highest-ranked groups, which enables five Power 5 conference champions, plus one Group of 5 champ. If the Pac-12 doesn’t exist, however, the CFP is considering altering the requirements to the 5 highest-ranked conference champs, plus the next seven highest-ranked groups. The group likewise went over the choice of 12 at-large teams.No major choices were made Wednesday, however

, because the group is still waiting to see what happens to the four staying Pac-12 groups– Cal, Stanford, Washington State and Oregon State. The ACC is anticipated to decide quickly on potentially adding Cal, Stanford and SMU.ACC commissioner Jim Phillips was expected to join them personally however informed ESPN he didn’t since of travel issues in Charlotte, North Carolina, brought on by Cyclone Idalia. He took part in the five-hour meeting by videoconference and didn’t provide the room any upgrade on possible conference growth, according to CFP executive director Costs Hancock.Editor’s Picks 2 Associated” To the matter of conference adjustment, we’re going to need to wait and see,” Hancock

stated.”We’re going to have to wait till the dust settles prior to making any choices about how that might impact CFP. The fact is, we simply don’t understand yet. Nobody understands how conference realignment is going to end up, and it would just be premature to make any decisions about it. “American Athletic Conference commissioner Mike Aresco stated his conference should know “fairly quickly” if SMU is going to join the ACC, which his league has”contingency plans.””We’re weighing how we’re going to deal with that, “he said.” We had a significant meeting today with our Advertisements and presidents this morning. … It

‘ll get solved pretty rapidly. I do not think it can go on excessive longer. None of this is actually healthy when it drags on, however we have a great relationship with SMU.” Aresco stated the Power 5 label is “all about branding. “” When we heard Stanford and Cal have no location to go, well, that’s not real, “he stated,”They belonged to go. They weren’t orphans. It’s the idea there’s this desperation now since of the P5 branding. … I understand the problem of cash, it’s based upon TV offer, but guys are willing to choose practically absolutely nothing since they feel they need that branding. We’re seeing that play out now. “Regardless what occurs with realignment, Mid-American Conference commissioner Jon Steinbrecher stated that moving forward, the concept of honoring conference champs must stay crucial.”

I think that’s a bedrock principle of what we are doing and what we’ve constructed into this,”he stated.”I believe it is very important that is continued as we move on. Depending upon number of conferences we have

, I think you can have a legitimate conversations about the number of champions that are set here, along with the variety of at-larges, but to me you begin with the bedrock principle and I think it’s important we keep that in there. I felt great coming out of that conversation. Didn’t take any sort of hands, I just felt excellent about that discussion.” It was the very first time Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff was in the exact same room with his peers since Oregon and Washington decided to join USC and UCLA in the Big Ten, and Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado chose to sign up with the Big 12. Kliavkoff has actually not spoken openly given that and decreased to comment about adjustment as he hurried previous press reporters in a conference space lobby at the DFW Grand Hyatt.As he strolled quickly away, Kliavkoff smiled and said”it was great “to be in the room once again with everybody and”nice to concentrate on everything in the future.”When asked what his future is, Kliavkoff stated,”I’m concentrated on this year. I’m simply concentrated on us winning a national championship. “Wednesday’s conference was previously arranged for the CFP’s management committee to dig into the nitty-gritty details connected with expanding the field to 12 teams in time for next season. While recent conference realignment clearly included another level to discussions, the focus stayed on logistics. The group chose to continue to supply a$3,000 stipend for each of 125 players’households to travel to all of the games in the playoff. They are likewise progressing with a company to assist manage lodging on all of the schools for the first-round games.”This meeting was set months earlier since each of us understands that to go to 12 groups in ’24, we’ve got a lot of work to do,”stated SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, who ran the meeting. “That’s what we did. … Did we discuss things have altered around us? Sure. Did that dominate the meeting? I don’t believe it

did. Everyone got along. It’s not the very first time we have actually been through conference changes.”While beginning the season in Week Zero has been a topic of conversation in the past, it has yet to gather much traction, and wasn’t talked about Wednesday. But having actually recently returned from Dublin, Ireland, where Notre Dame kicked off the season versus Navy in Week 0, Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick was honest in his support for the idea of it in the future, saying he thinks Week 0 is” actually great for the sport.””I understand the problems, however at a minimum, it always creates a two-bye year, which’s good for the health of the student-athletes,”Swarbrick stated.” Today, we get a two-year bye every seven years. … If you’re around the locker room, and you see what they resemble by Video game 9, 10, a 2nd bye’s so useful.” The CFP’s management committee will meet again in September at the Big Ten’s head office in Rosemont, Illinois, and is wanting to have more answers in location about adjustment already.”I believe we need to have some clarity, and we don’t have complete clarity today,”Sankey said. “… I wish to see what the circumstances are at some point.”