NCAA - slowly ruining football (rules changes - merged)

[Buckeyefrankmp]

Does Ohio State even need the Big 10? Could they be better off as an independent?

 

[SEREbuckeye]

Love that the vast majority of fans and prominent alumni and ex coaches are against this.

 

[ScriptOhio]

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/50198507/espn-lands-handshake-agreement-air-24-team-cfp

CFP reaches 'handshake agreement' with ESPN to air 24-team playoff, sources say​

The College Football Playoff has reached a "handshake agreement" with ESPN to broadcast a 24-team playoff beginning in the 2027 season, sources told ESPN on Friday.

Though there is still a significant amount of work to be done on paper, and everything is still subject to board approval across all involved parties, the agreement is a significant step closer to doubling the postseason path to the national title for next year.

The CFP and ESPN have been negotiating a new deal for the network to remain its broadcast partner in a seismic move that is also expected to eliminate the lucrative Power 4 conference championship games and start the season a week earlier.

Though final details have yet to be announced, discussions about the 24-team field have included 19 at-large bids, the Power 4 conference champions as determined by each league, plus the highest-ranked Group of 6 team.

Also on Friday, sources told ESPN's Pete Thamel that the average additional payment that ESPN will pay for the expanded playoff is $345 million annually the next five years. That is in addition to the average of $1.3 billion annually over that time ESPN is already paying.

The New Year's Six bowls (Rose, Fiesta, Sugar, Peach, Orange and Cotton) are expected to still host the quarterfinals and semifinals with the national championship game remaining in January. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti, whose conference has been the driving force behind the 24-team model, has pushed back against the notion that it will devalue the regular season, saying the system includes "tiered incentives."
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Just sayin': It is a bad idea; however, there are 345 million reasons each year as to why they will do it.

 

[SEREbuckeye]

Conf champ games still a thing or no?

Gone, sadly.

 

[pnuts34]