ESPN’s CFP negotiations have reportedly been ‘tough sledding’

As an Oct. 9 deadline looms large, it appears that negotiations between ESPN and the College Football Playoff have been difficult.

In September, CFP leadership formally opened a 30-day exclusive negotiating window with current rightsholder ESPN. It was the first official signal that playoff expansion was imminent. Now, with just over a week until that 30-day window expires, negotiations between the two sides aren’t smooth sailing.

According to a report by Austin Karp of Sports Business Journal, “the conversations between ESPN and its conference partners have been tough sledding,” regarding a potential new CFP deal that reflects the expected 24-team expansion. Karp adds that the biggest hurdle is conferences trying to recoup the revenue that will be lost by the elimination of conference championship games. The SEC Championship Game alone is estimated to be worth $100 million for the conference. In the aggregate, all FBS conference championship games are said to be valued at around $250 million. Any deal for a 24-team playoff would need to exceed these values for the conferences, otherwise expansion would not make financial sense.

The conversations between ESPN and its conference partners have been tough sledding, sources have told @SBJ. Trying to replace the revenue generated by an event like the SEC Championship (around $100 million) is no easy ask. https://t.co/FuQlWS3Zji

— Austin Karp (@AustinKarp) October 1, 2026

Karp’s report comes on the heels of a report by Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger, who first revealed details about what a potential schedule could look like for a 24-team playoff. In his report, Dellenger noted that if ESPN and the CFP do not reach an agreement prior to the Oct. 9 deadline, rights for the expanded postseason would hit the open market, at which point other potential broadcasters like Fox, NBC, Prime Video, or any number of other potential suitors could throw their hats in the ring.

For the CFP, its best chance of generating the value necessary to make a 24-team playoff worth it is likely taking its rights to market, and potentially splitting inventory into multiple packages sold to multiple broadcasters. However, ESPN still has eight days to make an offer compelling enough to where the CFP decides to stick with the Worldwide Leader on an exclusive basis.

Should no such agreement occur by Oct. 9, the CFP will have until Dec. 1 to strike a new deal in time for expansion in the 2027 season, per Dellenger.

The next couple of months could prove quite chaotic for the sport of college football, and that’s without Congress getting involved.