SEC and Big Ten Commissioners Greg Sankey And Tony Petitti You have concerns about the future of college football. With the CFP's management committee meeting in Dallas on Monday, both Sankey and Beatty spoke of talks about a possible change in format to the expanded 12-team playoffs.
The College Football Playoff television agreement with ESPN is set to expire in 2025, meaning the 10 FBS conferences and Our Lady They will not be contractually bound together. Discussions about a new contract before the national championship led to no results, casting doubt on the CFP's future after 2025.
In a report from Ross Dellinger Hey ho! SportsSankey stressed that he remains committed to the playoff, but added that there is “a lot that needs to be done right” to make it happen.
“We have a reality meeting to deal with CFP management going into the 2026 season and beyond,” Sankey said. “This is a very important issue.”
Pettitte doesn't have the same amount of experience as Sankey in the College Football Playoff, having only taken over as Big Ten commissioner last spring. However, he also stressed the importance of these meetings as the conferees try to work together to reach an agreement.
“I'm new to the (CFP) meetings,” Petitti said. “How these things have evolved, there have been some surprises. Focusing on what this will look like after 2026 is very important and deserves a lot of time and discussion.
The reorganization of the conference has been at the heart of discussions about the future shape of the CFP. Currently, it is a 6+6 model with automatic bids for six conference champions and then six additional at-large bids. However, with the Pac-12 losing 10 teams in 2024, a move to a 5+7 model has been proposed.
Washington state president Kirk Schultz, whose vote on changing the format is necessary to make the change in 2024 and 2025, is delaying approval. Schulz is It said He suggests the Pac-12 get a guarantee of voting rights and revenue distribution before casting a ballot. It was rejected by other conferences.
The CFP currently divides about $460 million annually into subdivisions. Power 5 schools receive 80% of this amount, averaging $5 million to $6 million per school.
Teams will also receive bonuses for making the College Football Playoff in a 12-team format. The teams that qualify will receive $4 million, another $4 million if they advance to the quarterfinals, and $6 million per round if they reach the semifinals and national title game.
Most expect the Big Ten and SEC to require a greater distribution of revenue and more weight in the voting issue. Recent conference realignment changes have resulted in the majority of major college football programs now being in both leagues.
From 2026, questions of form and revenue will no longer need unanimous approval between the eleven commissioners and their eleven presidents. With that in mind, it will be interesting to follow what happens in Dallas.
“We don’t know as a group what the CFP structure will look like from 2026 onward,” Sankey said. “That's on our minds.”
