College Football Playoff expansion talks reignite: Friday meeting could create larger field as soon as 2024

[BleedGopher]

per Dodd:

Frustrated with the leadership of FBS commissioners, the College Football Playoff Board of Managers will meet Friday with a goal of adopting an expanded playoff bracket as soon as the 2024 season, CBS Sports has learned. The bracket would likely expand to 12 teams under the leading proposal, which was the original concept put in front of stakeholders from the CFP working group in June 2021.

The vote must be unanimous by the 11 members of the board. If enacted, expansion would likely triple access to the playoff from the current four teams. The 11-member board includes university CEOs representing each of the 10 FBS conferences, plus Notre Dame president John Jenkins. Mississippi State president Mark Keenum told ESPN earlier this year that presidential intervention could come as soon as next summer.

Apparently, the timeline has been moved up.

The commissioners failed in their attempt to reach consensus on a long, drawn-out process that extended through 2020 and into February 2022. That's when the CFP officially announced expansion talks were dead. The presumption then was that playoff expansion would have to wait until at least 2026 when the current deal expires with ESPN.

There is still widespread support for CFP media rights to go out to multiple bidders. If expansion is instituted in 2024, ESPN would still have the rights to all the games for the final two years of a 12-year deal. Sports Illustrated first reported the approaching CFP meeting.

College Football Playoff expansion talks reignite: Friday meeting could create larger field as soon as 2024

With FBS commissioners slow to act, university presidents are aiming to avoid leaving money on the table

www.cbssports.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[swelna]

Expansion only happens if ESPN doesn't get an extension on it's exclusivity past the current contract.

 

[TruthSeeker]

Not happening.

 

[disco]

Expansion only happens if ESPN doesn't get an extension on it's exclusivity past the current contract.

Why? Couldn't Fox say they'll pay x billions for an expanded playoff?

 

[Gophers_4life]

I think this was to do it for the 2024-2026 seasons. The first contract (ESPN monopoly) went through the 2026 season. So, any change to the format would remain as an ESPN monopoly.

Then the next contract, there's no chance they won't bid that out to multiple TV partners.

It's the correct way. The NFL and now the Big Ten, have shown us.

 

[swelna]

Why? Couldn't Fox say they'll pay x billions for an expanded playoff?

Because Fox wants a share of the pie after 2026. If the agreement is expand now, let ESPN have it until 2026 (the end of the original contract), and then open it up for bids in 2026, expansion might happen. If ESPN whats to extend their exclusivity past 2026, it won't happen, Fox will make sure of that.

 

[WriterGoph]

Not happening.

It's definitely happening

 

[Goldmember]

I’m not sure why the Big Ten would ever agree to an expansion at this point without some sort of guarantee that it gets at least 1/3 of everything (seeds, game locations, and money just for starters).

Let the CFP die. Who cares?

 

[PMWinSTP]

12 still just does not make a lot of sense to me. Effectively creates "play-in" games.

 

[Some guy]

12 still just does not make a lot of sense to me. Effectively creates "play-in" games.

12 makes a ton of sense as it guarantees pretty much every unbeaten conference champ will be in.
Still makes the regular season super relevant because top 4 get a bye that’s huge.

12 doesn’t make sense if they are all at largest. I hope conference champs in the top 20 are auto bids.

 

[TruthSeeker]

Not happening until the contract with ESPN is dead.

 

[Goldmember]

The Presidents/chancellors from Western Kentucky, Clemson, West Virginia, Troy, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Mississippi State, Washington State, Buffalo, SMU and UNLV just decided to make the regular season of college football mostly meaningless.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

there is another thread about this.

from what I've read, a group of college and university Presidents got together and decided to take charge of the debate because they were upset that the Conference Commissioners could not come to an agreement. This Presidents' group is the one that reportedly has agreed to a 12-team format.

but now, as I understand it, it goes back to the Conference Commissioners to work out the details - including format, who qualifies, and the TV stuff.

So, from what I've read, this is step one to say "there will be a 12-team playoff." now, all the nitty-gritty still needs to be worked out.

 

[Some guy]

The Presidents/chancellors from Western Kentucky, Clemson, West Virginia, Troy, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Mississippi State, Washington State, Buffalo, SMU and UNLV just decided to make the regular season of college football mostly meaningless.

Lol okay.

So if only games having national championship implications are meaningful congrats on being on a message board for s team that’s played maybe 3 meaningful games since 1970

 

[Schnauzer]

If the field will be larger, are they going to go with a CFL style field or will it be wider too?

 

[Gophers_4life]

Not happening until the contract with ESPN is dead.

This is possible. The CFP management board (presidents) in their decree did leave open the possibility of the expanded field starting with the 2026 season.

But that means everyone is leaving a pile of cash on the table for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. And then whatever changes are being fought for those two seasons, will just happen anyway for the 2026 season.


Why fight the future for just two seasons, only to leave piles of cash on the table?

 

[Gophers_4life]

The Presidents/chancellors from Western Kentucky, Clemson, West Virginia, Troy, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Mississippi State, Washington State, Buffalo, SMU and UNLV

You don't really think these folks voted however they individually felt on that day, do you?

Each of them had a meeting with their respective conference's group of presidents for every school, discussed the proposals, and probably held an internal vote. They then designated that particular president to be their representative in the CFP vote.