Despite the rash of conference realignment this offseason, it’s expected that agreed-upon 12-team College Football Playoff format will deal with its construction a minimum of for the 2024 season, assets instructed CBS Sports.
The major reason why: It would take an unanimous vote of the CFP Management Committee — 10 commissioners and Notre Dame’s athletic director — to make any exchange to the 12-team format at this level, assets showed.
The 12-team construction in position for 2024 will come with see the six highest-ranked conference champions populate the sector as computerized qualifiers with six different at-large groups receiving playoff bids.
With the game in a state of flux and it up within the air what number of FBS meetings can even exist as soon as subsequent season rolls round, it will be virtually unimaginable to in finding consensus with regards to which meetings deserve AQ standing.
The unique thought at the back of making certain spots to the six highest-ranked conference champions used to be that, maximum years, no longer simplest would the Power Five league champions have get entry to to the playoff however so would a minimum of one champion from a Group of Five conference.
Maintaining the 6+6 construction for 2024 would get rid of hypothesis that the choice of computerized qualifiers will lower with the expected lack of the Pac-12. The two different constructions which have been informally advised are 5+7 with 5 AQs (accounting for the expiration of the Pac-12) and the 12 highest-rated groups — without reference to conference championship standing — incomes CFP bids.
The committee will acquire for a often scheduled two-day assembly starting Tuesday in Chicago. Even if change fashions are proposed on the assembly, it’s going to simplest take one dissenting vote to keep the agreed-upon construction in position.
American commissioner Mike Aresco is on report as being towards any construction exchange that reduces the automated berths.
After the 2025 season, a lot of the construction and format of the 12-team playoff might be up for attention, together with the 6+6 style. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has mentioned on a large number of events that he would prefer a construction that featured 12 at-large groups.
“I think the best teams in the playoff are most healthy,” Sankey instructed journalists previous this month. “That’s not where a lot of my colleagues are.”
The CFP Board of Managers — constructed from 11 college presidents and chancellors — is the overall authority that oversees the playoff.
“It’s not up to me,” Sankey added. “My view is there was a format decided. If you look deeply at the transition of teams and what that means, you would have a set of years where unranked teams would have been conference champions eligible for the playoff. That just doesn’t work.”
For instance, simplest as soon as since 2011 has the Conference USA champion been ranked within the ultimate AP Top 25 earlier than bowl video games commenced. (No. 23 UTSA ultimate season.) In the present four-team playoff, the highest-ranked Group of Five champion is awarded a New Year’s Six bowl bid. If that champion isn’t within the CFP Rankings as launched publicly, that choice is made via the CFP Selection Committee.
The CFP Management Committee ultimate met in past due August earlier than Stanford, California and SMU joined the ACC starting in 2024. Washington State and Oregon State stay in limbo for subsequent season.
“When the CFP Management Committee [last] met, the Pac-12 — after announced departures — still had four remaining members,” Sankey mentioned. “Later that week, Stanford and Cal moved. We have not gathered again. Respectfully, the Pac-12 still exists. There has to be clarity on its future and direction.”
NCAA bylaws state {that a} conference should be constructed from a minimum of 8 participants. However, there’s a two-year grace length for a league to reach that quantity. It is in large part assumed Washington State and Oregon State will ultimately land within the Mountain West. Sankey used to be requested whether or not they might play as a two-team conference for the ones two years.
“The CFP — just so we’re all clear — is not the NCAA,” he mentioned.
Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff might be at this week’s assembly. It’s no longer transparent whether or not he nonetheless maintains CFP balloting rights on present problems.
While no longer a lot is expected to be determined at this week’s assembly, urgency looms. The commissioners and CEOs are expected to elect a brand new govt director — changing the retiring Bill Hancock — via Christmas.
Negotiations will start quickly on a brand new CFP media rights settlement that starts in 2026. The new contract may well be the most important in faculty sports activities historical past. One of a very powerful portions of that deal might be how income is shipped among the meetings.
Currently, Power Five leagues obtain roughly 80% of the yearly income distribution. It stays unclear if an unanimous vote might be required to exchange that method with the emergence of a Power Four following the Pac-12’s dissolving.