The future of college football seems as though if it is perpetually hanging in the balance these days with the crossroads of huge television deals, NIL, player movement, labor debates, and conference realignment all crashing together. But at least the sport has finally come to an agreement on something, no matter how small and temporary it may be, when it comes to the new-look College Football Playoff.
Beginning this fall, the CFP will become a 12 team tournament as it sees a huge expansion from the current 4 team model that has been in existence since 2014. However, with the dissolution of the Pac-12 Conference, the format was thrown into question with how many automatic bids would be given to conference champions and how many at-large spots would be made available. We now have the answer in a win for whatever is left of the Power 5 conferences as the CFP decided on the “5+7” model, reducing the number of automatic bids for the highest-ranked conference champions to five spots with seven at-large selections. The original format had called for a “6+6” model for the playoff.
Via the CFP website:
The College Football Playoff (CFP) Board of Managers today unanimously revised the qualifying criteria for the 12-team event to now include the five highest-ranked conference champions, plus the next seven highest-ranked teams as determined by the CFP Selection Committee.
“This is a very logical adjustment for the College Football Playoff based on the evolution of our conference structures since the board first adopted this new format in September 2022,” said Dr. Mark Keenum, President of Mississippi State University and Chair of the CFP Board of Managers. “I know this change will also be well received by student-athletes, coaches and fans. We all will be pleased to see this new format come to life on the field this postseason.”
This change modifies the original plan, which called for the bracket each year to include the six highest-ranked conference champions, plus the next six highest-ranked teams.
However, this announcement comes amidst the increased uncertainty over the long-term future of the playoff – what it is, who has the TV rights to it, and whether it even exists at all.
After it was reported that ESPN and the College Football Playoff had agreed to a new TV deal beginning in 2026, it became clear that the agreement was tenuous at best given a lack of clarity from within the sport. And as the CFP gets itself figured out for the next two seasons, already posturing is beginning for what happens next. According to an in-depth report at The Athletic, things are getting very antsy as all of the power brokers prepare their battle positions. Specifically, could the SEC and Big Ten begin to throw their weight around the table even more and establish an ironclad grip over the sport? And on the television side, is ESPN still in place to televise or win the rights to the new CFP?
The Athletic states that ESPN could sublicense up to five games from the expanded playoff in a new television deal, which could be a win-win for everybody. ESPN could maintain control over proceedings and networks invested in CFB like Fox and NBC could try to snag a game or two without footing the bill to the tune of billions of dollars. Of course, given that we just now know the playoff format for 2024, answering any remaining questions about what comes in 2026 may be asking too much for the moment.
[CFP]
