There was believable discussion that the college football playoff format would grow once more in the near future, almost immediately after it was extended from four teams to twelve in a field that will make its debut this postseason.
Currently, the College Football Playoff will consist of the top five conference winners (four of which will receive a first-round bye) and the following seven at-large teams, which will comprise the 12-team field in 2024 and 2025.
Now, according to Chris Vannini of The Athletic, administrators from the Group of Five NCAA conferences—the American Athletic Conference, Sun Belt, Mountain West, Mid-American Conference, and Conference USA—have discussed a potential “G5-only postseason playoff or even wide-scale G5 realignment with the involvement of private equity.”
As Vannini noted, the “details of the plans under discussion vary.”
Before that report, Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports broke the news that former Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley was pitching a Group of Five playoffs that would be financially backed by private equity.
Dodd mentioned that the current NCAA College Football Playoff media rights agreement has left the Group of Five conferences unhappy with their revenue cut.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NCAA stories via Google! Follow Us
The average program in the listed NCAA conferences would receive $1.8 million per year in CFP revenue beginning in 2026 under the new deal, up from the current $1.5 million payout, per Dodd.
Per Dodd:
“The Group of Five splits 9% of the annual $1.3 billion deal with ESPN. While the payout marks an increase in raw numbers, it is a percentage decrease, considering the Group of Five received 22% of the pot in the prior deal (2014-23).
“By comparison, the Big Ten and SEC will each receive 29% of CFP money — millions more than any Group of Five league is paid in media revenue alone during a given year.”
The College Football Playoff Expands To 12 Teams
The new 12-team College Football Playoff field will begin this 2024 season and will include the five highest-ranked conference champions, which will receive automatic bids.
The remaining seven teams with the highest rankings will complete the 12-team format. A first-round bye to the quarterfinals will be granted to the top four clubs.
Also Read: BREAKING: NCAA Announces Shocking Decision On Former Heisman Trophy-Winning RB Reggie Bush
