REPORT: CFP Expands to 24 Teams After Reaching Media Rights Deal with ESPN, Conference Championship Games Eliminated

After an extended negotiation between the College Football Playoff (CFP) and ESPN, the two reached a media rights deal that will double the CFP field to 24 and eliminate conference championship games. According to On3’s Pete Nakos, the two sides agreed on a 5-year, $1.7 billion deal that will bring the 24-team playoff to fruition in 2027. “The field will be built with a ’19+4+1′ model with 19 at-large bids, four reserved for Power Four champions and one for the highest-rated Group of Six champ,” CBS Sports reports. “First- and second-round games would be played on campuses. The quarterfinal and semifinal games will continue to be played in traditional bowls like the Sugar Bowl, Rose Bowl and Cotton Bowl.” The move comes after much resistance from SEC Chairman Greg Sankey, who, along with ESPN, at least initially, preferred a 16-team format that would have preserved the conference championship games. However, Sankey and his broadcast partner eventually relented to the 24-team format championed by the Big 10 but also supported by the ACC, Big 12, and Notre Dame. While the Power 4 conferences will make more money under the 24-team playoff, they wouldn’t do it otherwise; the driving force behind the expansion remains improving accessibility. “The decision to expand was driven by a desire to increase opportunities for FBS programs, student-athletes, and fan bases to participate in the Playoff and have a chance to play for the CFP National Championship, while new scheduling standards incentivize institutions to schedule more compelling non-conference matchups during the regular season,” the College Football Playoff said in a statement. “The expanded format will feature 16 on-campus Playoff games, which will bring Playoff football to more students and local fans while providing a positive impact for campus communities.” A bone of contention for conference commissioners – particularly the SEC – was replacing the lost income the conferences have come to expect from their lucrative conference championship games. The expanded playoff calendar did not allow conferences to retain the championship games. In recent years, the Power 4 leagues have made as much as $250 million from their annual championships. To compensate, the deal “put the potential additional annual rights fee at more than $320 million, on top of ESPN’s existing agreement, which averages $1.3 billion annually.”