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College Football Playoffs Discussion (12/16/24 Team Format)


College Football Playoff expansion talks heat up with 16-, 24-team formats taking center stage

The CFP management committee meets on Aug. 10 to discuss expanding the playoff field beyond 12 teams​

Rich Clark has run the College Football Playoff the way he ran the Air Force, with the discipline of following protocol and the chain of command and the resolve to make decisions that can't be undone.

He'll be put to the test again over the next four months as CFP decision-makers face another hard deadline to decide whether to expand the college football postseason tournament.

The CFP's management committee will gather Aug. 10 for its first substantive meeting since January to discuss formats and view presentations from media advisers on scheduling, TV windows and timing considerations for 16- and 24-team formats, sources tell CBS Sports. The meeting won't produce a decision on format, but it's designed to provide details to inform decisions expected later this fall.

"There are so many considerations regarding the calendar, regarding student safety and health, regarding campus schedules, the schedule for finals and things like that," Clark, the CFP's executive director, told CBS Sports. "Where are we going to play these games? What is the calendar really going to look like? What's the revenue discussion look like, and what does that do to things like conference championships?"

That last question sits at the center of the entire debate. Expanding to a 24-team field would eliminate conference championship games. A 16-team format makes it more difficult for conferences to maintain their end-of-season title games, but it's not impossible.

"As great as our championship has been -- it's been wildly successful -- we've had incredible games the last couple of seasons, but I still think we're willing to do that because we believe that access is still the most important thing," Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti said.

The Big Ten supports a 24-team format, but the SEC remains uneasy with the option and has long offered a 16-team field as the strongest option for expansion. Still, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said late last month the conference is open to learning more about the Big Ten's proposal and whether media partners are interested in doubling the size of the playoff.
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Just sayin': This season, it will be another 12 team playoff.

Re: ESPN pays $1.3 billion annually for the rights to the College Football Playoff (CFP) under a six-year, $7.8 billion extension. This agreement keeps ESPN the exclusive media rights holder through the 2031–32 season.

However in MHO, here is the determining factor whether we end up with a 16 or 24 team playoff in the future....

The Big Ten supports a 24-team format, but the SEC remains uneasy with the option and has long offered a 16-team field as the strongest option for expansion. Still, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said late last month the conference is open to learning more about the Big Ten's proposal and whether media partners are interested in doubling the size of the playoff and payout.

It's all going to come down to the money. Going from 12 teams (i.e. 11 games) to 24 teams (i.e. 23 games), will ESPN, some other network, and/or a combination of networks double the payout (i.e. $1.3B a year to something like $2.6B a year).
 
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