By RALPH D. RUSSO
The College Football Playoff delayed reducing the number of spots reserved for conference champions from six to five in the upcoming 12-team format on Jan. 8, though the change is expected to be in place next season.
CFP Board of Managers chairman Mark Keenum, the president of Mississippi State, said the Pac-12 representative, Washington State president Kirk Schulz, requested the delay. Keenum said he expected the board to circle back on the issue in a few weeks.
“I’d be shocked if we weren’t a 5-7 playoff for this coming football season,” Keenum said.
For now, the playoff format for the next two years has spots reserved for six conference champions and six at-large selections. The expected change to five spots for champions and seven at-large spots was prompted by a wave of conference realignment and the state of the Pac-12, which will lose 10 of its 12 members to other Power Five leagues this summer.
Oregon State and Washington State plan to keep the Pac-12 running as a two-team conference next year as they try to rebuild the league. The Beavers and Cougars have a scheduling agreement with the Mountain West in place for next season.
“They’re going through some issues legal issues that they’re working on right now,” Keenum said, without providing details. “They want to get all their issues resolved.”
With only nine full major college football conferences in place for next season — and one fewer Power Five conference than when expansion was first agreed upon — the CFP management committee agreed to recommend changing the original 6-6 format to a 5-7 model.
While the presidents didn’t vote on the 5-7 change they did endorse a proposal that for a conference to have a champion eligible for one of those five spots, it needs to have at least eight members. The only one of the nine major conferences that won’t have that many next year will be the Pac-12.
The CFP board is comprised of conference commissioners and Notre Dame’s athletic director.
Media deal
Keenum said the CFP hopes to have a new media agreement in place soon. The expanded format for the next two years requires a new deal for the extra four games added to a system that currently includes three playoff games and four of the so-called New Year’s Six bowls.
The quarterfinals that will be played for the first time after the 2024 season are additional inventory not covered by the current CFP TV deal with ESPN, which has two remaining seasons.
An entirely new media rights agreement is needed for the College Football Playoff for 2026 and beyond.
“We had our (media) consultants meet with us and talk to us today. They did not get into specifics,” Keenum said. “We need to get this resolved. We’re playing the new 12-team playoff this year and we need to get a media deal done.”
CFP threats
CFP Executive Director Bill Hancock said the threats directed at him and members of the selection committee after Florida State was left out of the playoff with a perfect record led to the CFP arranging for extra security for some members.
Hancock said committee members received not just threats on social media, but calls and emails sent to them threatening their homes and personal safety.
“We’ve been in contact with the FBI. Some of it was really unfortunate,” Hancock said.
Revenue sharing
Left undecided was a revenue distribution issue that for now just involves SMU, which is leaving the American Athletic Conference to join the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2024.
Revenue distribution in the 12-team format will guarantee each school a set amount: $6 million for Power Five schools and $1 million for schools in so-called Group of Five conferences.
The commissioners have not yet agreed whether SMU should receive a full Power Five share for the next two years and whether a moratorium should be placed on full shares for schools moving up beyond 2026.
