College Football Playoff buzz: Additional expansion? More SEC/Big Ten power?

• Heather Dinich, ESPN

  • Senior WriterFeb 4, 2024, 01:30 PM ET Close College football reporter Joined ESPN.com in 2007
  • Graduate of Indiana University

The College Football Playoff management committee is meeting in Dallas on Monday and Tuesday to deal with the information of carrying out the 12-team playoff for this fall. While no major decisions are anticipated to be made, weighty questions– thanks to extreme changes in conference realignment– surround the future of the sport’s postseason.The 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick consist of the CFP’s management committee, however the power within the room has actually never ever been equal and never will be– a direct reflection of the leagues themselves. That divide continues to shift as the Big 10 has actually swelled to 18 teams and the SEC to 16. Editor’s Picks 1 Associated Huge Ten commissioner Tony Petitti and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey have established a

close working relationship– moreso than their predecessors, as evidenced by their brand-new working group. While the playoff format is anticipated to be set for the next 8 years– the anticipated length of the newest TV agreements with 2 additional years on the present one and six years on the new one– the conversations about cash and gain access to are just growing louder.With a 12-team playoff that is currently structured to reward conference champions, the most likely model to be authorized is automated quotes for

the five highest-ranked conference champs plus the next 7 highest-ranked groups(5 +7). But as the so-called Power 2 leagues are positioned to retreat since of a resource gap, is that model predestined for controversy?The next two seasons will be the base test for how well it works– and the television contract must offer stability– however discussions about how large the playoff field need to be, who eventually makes it and how

they share the numerous millions in earnings have currently begun.Will 12 teams be the best number?The last CFP offer lasted 10 years of a 12-year agreement before a format change got here. And while there’s no imminent format change beyond the new 12-team field, easy math would hint towards one being thought about seriously before the 8 years is

up. One source called it”the elephant in the room,” as the Big Ten has grown to 18 groups and the SEC is at 16. That’s 34 programs, many of which were at the top of their former leagues.In a conference earlier this fall, Petitti initiated a conversation about a 16-team format, a source informed ESPN. There’s no sign anything will change in the short-term. Petitti’s point of view makes good sense from a pure mathematics and gain access to viewpoint, as he’s now in charge of 18

teams, a lot of whom harbor legitimate playoff expectations.There’s a lot to figure out for the CFP before any format modifications, and growth features complications.CFP leaders will likely want the television contract to include a clause or some language that addresses the possibility of the field broadening beyond 12 teams. Although ESPN is thinking about paying the large price of about$1.3 billion, a field bigger than 12 groups would result in increased costs, and at some time, lessening returns

. CFP sources have actually indicated the commissioners, presidents and chancellors desire full control of how big the field is. Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports Why does access loom as a compelling topic?Whether the playoff has 4, 12, 16 or 100 groups, there will be battles over the last few spots. In an era of incredibly conferences, the criteria for making the expanded fieldwill be carefully viewed. Will

those guidelines– and individuals making them– change over time?Currently, modifications to the existing agreement, structure and financial resources need to be unanimously approved by the 11 presidents and chancellors who have the ultimate authority over the playoff.Should the Sun Belt have the exact same say as the SEC? Needs To the Big Ten have similar power to the MAC?Those are questions being asked

, and concerns being raised as this contract heads towards the goal. Especially with consentaneous approval required on the 5 +7 design, the profits that will (or won’t)be allocated to brand-new inbound ACC member SMU, and voting power being given to the staying Pac-12 schools, Oregon State and Washington State.Entering the last CFP contract nearly a years earlier, there was constantly going to be controversy over four groups being chosen when there’s 5 significant conferences (plus Notre Dame). This variation’s fundamental controversy will be rooted in the bye for conference champs that wouldn’t typically be ranked in the leading four.(In 2022, for instance, the model would have provided ACC winner Clemson and Pac-12 winner Utah byes and bumped out TCU and Ohio State from the Leading 4. Clemson and Utah ended up No. 7 and No. 8 in the final CFP rankings.)So while the Big Ten and SEC champs would be practically guaranteed a bye as one of the highest ranked conference champions, there’s going to be increased tension as the SEC and Big Ten have both added significant brand names and compromised other leagues. The 12-team model was set in motion before the relocations of Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC and USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon removed for the Big 10. Is the SEC No. 3 much better than the ACC No. 2? Is the Big Ten No. 3 better than the Big 12 No. 2? Those are the disputes as we adjust to a system where several losses are going to become an accepted playoff résumé. Will the Big Ten and SEC push for a model with more ensured areas? Or does a design that simply chooses the 12 highest ranked groups favor them more?How will the profits be distributed?The College Football Playoff and ESPN are in middle of negotiations to keep the network as the sole rights holder of the occasion for the next eight years. Numerous millions of dollars will be pouring in, and CFP leaders are disputing how it will be divided among the 10 FBS conferences and Notre Dame in the next agreement (Year 13 ). Should the SEC and Big 10 get back at more, as they will be the

largest leagues and boast a few of the most effective brands in the sport? Will SMU, that made the leap from Group of 5 to the Power 5 by signing up with the ACC, get a share of the CFP payout after taking minimal cash from the ACC? Or will the CFP deny the program Power 5 financing for the next two years and set a new precedent that accompanies future realignment?Here’s what we understand: Groups that reach the 12-team playoff will have the prospective to make an overall of $20 million for their conference. Each group in the field will get $4 million. Each team in the quarterfinals receives another$4 million. And another$6 million for each group in the semifinals. An additional$6 million will go to each group in the national championship– all income that goes to the league.There is already a glaring CFP revenue space between the Power 5(Pac-12, ACC, SEC, Big 12 and Big Ten )and the Group

of 5(Conference-USA, Mid-American, Mountain West, Sun Belt and American Athletic Conference ). Presently, about 80 %of the CFP income goes to the Power 5, while 20%is designated to the Group of 5. Now the commissioners need to determine how it will be shared amongst the “Power 4,”as the Pac-12 is on the brink of termination following defections to other leagues.For the 2023-24 academic year, the Huge 12(Texas

), Pac-12 (Washington), SEC( Alabama)and Big Ten(Michigan )each received$6 million for having actually a team picked for a semifinal. Conferences likewise got$4 million for each team that contended in a New Year’s 6 bowl that didn’t host a semifinal.According to the most recent data from the CFP, each of the Power 5 conferences got $79.41 million in the spring of 2023 (almost$400 million total). The Group of 5 conferences shared$102.77 million. Notre Dame received a payment of$3.89 million by satisfying the NCAA’s APR requirement, while the other six independents shared $1.89 million.In the past, the earnings was allocated based upon contracts with the Orange, Rose and Sugar Bowls– bowl bids reserved for the champions of Power 5 conferences. In the new CFP agreement, though, it’s possible the commissioners do away with the historic bowl tie-ins. Pete Thamel added to this report.