The College Football Playoff doesn’t appear to be expanding anytime soon.
The sport’s decision makers discussed whether the four-team playoff field should be expanded for three straight days in Indianapolis before Monday’s national championship game, but those talks have stalled.
As Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby told reporters afterward, “There are big enough [issues] that remain that we have a lot of work to do.
“I am disappointed. ... There’s holdouts for four, there’s holdouts for eight, there’s holdouts for 12. It’s been a frustrating process.”
The news didn’t sit well with TCU athletic director Jeremiah Donati.
Donati responded with a one-word text when asked his reaction, simply saying: “Disappointing.”
There were a number of issues that the group couldn’t come to a consensus on, ranging from whether the Power 5 leagues should receive automatic bids in a new format to bowl games to revenue distribution.
The original proposal that called for the CFP to expand to 12 teams this summer included the six highest-ranked conference champions receiving a bid followed by the next six highest-ranked teams.
Expansion seemed inevitable at that point, but then Texas and Oklahoma announced plans to leave the Big 12 for the SEC and the entire college sports world changed amid another round of realignment.
Now it’s near impossible to envision a scenario where the sport’s leaders reach a unanimous decision, although they didn’t rule out the possibility that CFP expansion could happen before the end of the current 12-year TV contract that runs through the 2025 season.
Much of this talk hinges on creating additional TV revenue, which is why expanding to 12 teams and playing more games makes sense. Plus, it would allow TV networks other than ESPN to bid on televising postseason games. That, in theory, would make conference’s that have expiring TV contracts in the coming years more desirable.
As one source said, “Why would FOX or NBC break the bank on a TV deal when they can’t participate in the postseason?”
