The College Football Playoffs are finally opening up the potential for expansion. The College Football Playoff board of managers is set to vote on a new model for a 12-team playoff that would include the five highest-ranked conference champions and the next seven highest-ranked teams.
The “5+7 model” is one of the more equitable positions for expansion in an ever-shifting college football landscape. It becomes especially relevant to a now-decimated Pac-12 that saw 10 total teams depart for other conferences. There are only two teams – Washington State and Oregon State – remaining in the conference. According to Washington State president and Pac-12 representative on the CFP board Kirk Schulz, they may allow the re-formatting to pass unanimously.
“I believe there’s a sense of, ‘We’re hearing you guys out like you asked for, the legal stuff has been largely settled in the Pac-12 Conference. It’s time to move forward,’” said Schulz, per ESPN. He previously asked for delays to vote on any future format changes until the Pac-12 was certain about “what it wanted to ask for moving forward.”
Those requests have reportedly manifested in continued CFP revenue shares, asking for the $5-6 million owed to Power 5 institutions and “voting rights equal to the lowest per school pro rata share of the ACC, Big 10, Big 12, or SEC conference’s distribution, regardless of how those four conferences actually distribute CFP distributions to their members,” according to ESPN. However, Schulz considers these requests a separate conversation and voiced his support for the 5+7 model.
The request would also be considered “null and void if the Pac-12 dissolves, WSU and OSU join one of the aforementioned conferences, or the right is waived.” Washington State and Oregon State are not eligible for the automatic bid as a conference champion in each of the next two seasons; the Pac-12 reached a temporary scheduling agreement with the Mountain West to round out the two schools’ schedules.
There is more at stake with this CFP vote than the Pac-12’s revenue share. The Athletic reported Tuesday that ESPN and the College Football Playoff agreed to a six-year, $7.8 billion contract extension to be the central provider of the format through the 2031-32 season. However, that deal is reportedly contingent on the finalization of the expanded playoff, and the multi-billion dollar deal will not be ratified until the CFP approves a new 12-team format.
