CFP Expansion

sports.yahoo.com

Bowls send letter to schools arguing against on-campus games in expanded College Football Playoff

The bowl game coalition does not want any playoff games on home campuses.
sports.yahoo.com sports.yahoo.com

Bowls send letter to schools arguing against on-campus games in expanded College Football Playoff​


"The college football bowl system does not want an expanded College Football Playoff to include any games at teams' home stadiums.

The letter, obtained by Yahoo Sports, argues that the bowls would provide a "neutral, competitively fair setting" for playoff games and that college football wouldn't be viewed the way it is by fans if it wasn't for the bowl system."
 
I wish they would at least go to 8 teams:

My top 8 right now.
Georgia
Alabama
Michigan
Ohio State
Oklahoma
Michigan St
Iowa
Mississippi

Georgia/Florida should be a close one (we will see). Michigan/Michigan State will be a dogfight. Ohio State should win handily over PSU. Iowa/Wisconsin will be close. I think Mississippi loses to Auburn and Cincinnati moves into top 8 after this weeks games.
 
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Crusaders said:
theathletic.com

College Football Playoff expansion talks to resume with focus on finding consensus on 8 vs. 12 teams

With staunch supporters for multiple formats, it’s far from certain that the group will get on the same page in Texas next week.
theathletic.com theathletic.com

Team 8: Big Ten and ACC

Fencesitter: PAC 12

Team 12: SEC, Big XII, and G5
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I don't have a subscription to the Atlantic but I have an understanding that Notre Dame is also part of Team 12. Basically they end the season in the top 12 and they get in which is very appealing to an Independent, especially when you take into account they don't have to play in a Conference title game.

Not sure why the PAC 12 and Big 12 are not part of team 8. You would think if the Big 12 in particular makes a deal to stay as a Power 5 and they get one of the 5 auto bids and for the left overs in the conference that would be a huge win. I can see why the SEC and G5 want 12, gives them more teams. This thing will take a long time to finalize and there will be a lot of negotiating going on behind the scenes so everybody gets what they view as best for the conference.
 
Auggie said:
I don't have a subscription to the Atlantic but I have an understanding that Notre Dame is also part of Team 12. Basically they end the season in the top 12 and they get in which is very appealing to an Independent, especially when you take into account they don't have to play in a Conference title game.

Not sure why the PAC 12 and Big 12 are not part of team 8. You would think if the Big 12 in particular makes a deal to stay as a Power 5 and they get one of the 5 auto bids and for the left overs in the conference that would be a huge win. I can see why the SEC and G5 want 12, gives them more teams. This thing will take a long time to finalize and there will be a lot of negotiating going on behind the scenes so everybody gets what they view as best for the conference.
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Some of the most important bits:

The commissioners who make up The Alliance — the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 — are expected to re-raise the topic of an eight-team format with automatic qualifying spots for each Power 5 champion, multiple sources directly involved in the process told The Athletic. It is believed that the ACC is the league most attached to the eight-team format, though some administrators also characterized the Big Ten as “in lockstep” with the ACC on the issue. The Pac-12, sources said, is open to both the eight-team format and a 12-team model; it just needs expanded access above all. The Pac-12 has not had a team qualify for the Playoff since the 2016 season.
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Much of the conversation around expansion over the past four months has centered on a 12-team format that would include the six highest-ranked conference champions and six at-large teams. That proposal was put forth back in June by a four-member CFP working group made up of Swarbrick, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby and Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson. The model would increase access to the postseason’s marquee event and keep more teams alive in the Playoff race later into the season, no longer effectively eliminated from contention after their first (or second) loss. According to Stewart Mandel’s 12-team model projection for this season, that would mean 43 different teams would still be considered legitimate Playoff contenders right now, compared to just 16 in the current four-team model.
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Notre Dame also supports a 12-team field with six at-large spots for obvious reasons: It’s easier for the Irish to make the field if there are more available spots. There is no motivation for them to sign off on an eight-team model with just two at-large spots each year. Swarbrick, their athletic director, was in the room for the birth of the 12-team recommendation.

The five Group of 5 leagues want access most of all, so they like the 12-team model because it includes a guaranteed spot for the six highest-ranked conference champions, as Gill said. That’s at least one spot per season and possibly two. The G5 leagues would not support an eight-team model unless it included a designated G5 spot, but if an eight-team model included designated automatic qualifiers, it’s a nonstarter for both the SEC and Notre Dame.

A source suggested that one potential compromise could be a 12-team model — the size preferred by the SEC and Notre Dame — with AQ spots for all Power 5 conference champions — a priority for the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12.

Last month, CFP executive director Bill Hancock said that stakeholders had three or four months to figure out a new format if the CFP were to expand as early as the 2024 season. (In terms of television contracts, it’s possible that the CFP could either negotiate a deal for just the 2024 and 2025 seasons with a separate negotiation for 2026 and beyond, or tear everything up for a new deal could start as early as the 2024 season). If the commissioners reach an impasse and choose to wait for the current contract with ESPN to expire after the 2025 season, they have “a couple of years” to make the format decision. “We have the luxury of time,” Hancock said. But it’s not like these basic issues change or go away. In order to make changes to the format for the CFP’s next contract, these same stakeholders will still need to agree on the size of an expanded bracket.
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Every person directly involved in the process who spoke to The Athletic in recent weeks about Playoff expansion supports efforts to have multiple media partners in the CFP’s next contract. The thinking is to make college football’s postseason like the NFL playoffs, with multiple networks broadcasting different rounds and games, which means multiple networks are invested in covering it and promoting the sport in the lead-up. “There is nothing more valuable in media than live sports, and the more partners that are invested in distributing and promoting college sports, the better for the industry,” Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff said in August.

There are other smaller yet numerous issues that have popped up over the course of expansion conversations, such as the impact of finals on the timing of early-round Playoff games. The Big Ten is concerned about stadiums not being “winterized” and prepared to host games into December. Some sources have voiced concerns about Notre Dame having a competitive advantage by not playing a conference championship game. Others remain committed to ensuring that the Rose Bowl retains its famous late-afternoon kickoff time slot on New Year’s Day.
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In the proposed 12-team model, first-round games would be played on the campus of the higher seed. Some commissioners would support moving those games to bowl sites to incorporate more bowls into the format; others like the campus element because it would be great for fans.
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I'd wager the SEC isn't too keen on the possibility of playing in the Midwest in late December/ early January.
 
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On the above ^^^

The SEC is not too keen on any games outside of the south. I heard some interesting comment today from a SEC honk that the smaller bowls need to be taken care of and 1st round match ups is a good way to do this. What is not said is that most of these occur in the SEC foot print and that a Shreveport, LA or Montgomery, AL would relish at the chance to host one of these games, especially if a close by school is involved. Well the last place Oregon or ND fans would want to travel in December to see their team play would be Shreveport, LA. The winterization thing sounds like a cop out too.

I still think the SEC keeps sweetening the 12 team aspect, primarily through $s, to the point everyone else cannot say no. The 12 teams is a must to make the recent expansion more palatable to their membership.
 
The initial playoff rounds would have to be on campus. Expecting a crapload of fans to travel to neutral sites 3 or 4 weeks in a row is insanely stupid.

It’s true, it’s true. Trust me …
 
hubman said:
sports.yahoo.com

Bowls send letter to schools arguing against on-campus games in expanded College Football Playoff

The bowl game coalition does not want any playoff games on home campuses.
sports.yahoo.com sports.yahoo.com

Bowls send letter to schools arguing against on-campus games in expanded College Football Playoff​


"The college football bowl system does not want an expanded College Football Playoff to include any games at teams' home stadiums.

The letter, obtained by Yahoo Sports, argues that the bowls would provide a "neutral, competitively fair setting" for playoff games and that college football wouldn't be viewed the way it is by fans if it wasn't for the bowl system."
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A fair setting? Oh you mean like having Big Ten teams from the Midwest traveling to California to play in the Rose Bowl which is basically in the backyard of many Pac 12 teams; you mean that neutral area? Stupid!!!
 
Toledo-BG being fairly well in the center of a 4 hour radius for the conference. Middle Tenn St would stretch it to about 6. They've had worse as the occasional Mass or Conn came through the league. Even Marshal was five hours. Two Bowling Greens could violate some rule of decency.
 
Sounds like it's a done deal. It'll be interesting to see how they breakout the divisions. For both football and hoops, both of these are solid programs and should help the MAC overall.
 
Looks like JMU is also headed to sun belt. I wouldn’t mind them in the MAC but the MAC appears to be playing it conservatively in expansion. MTSU and WKU are much better established.

14 seems a bit awkward to me I would rather go 16 or 18 but options are limited if we aren’t trying to spread tv money to fcs schools and keeping it geographically tight
 
OhioBobcatFan06 said:
Looks like JMU is also headed to sun belt. I wouldn’t mind them in the MAC but the MAC appears to be playing it conservatively in expansion. MTSU and WKU are much better established.

14 seems a bit awkward to me I would rather go 16 or 18 but options are limited if we aren’t trying to spread tv money to fcs schools and keeping it geographically tight
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And in one of the more douche bag moves the Colonial is barring their other teams from the conference post season events if they accept the Sun Belt invite. This in effect bans them from making the NCAA basketball tourney as the CAA will only get one team in, their conference tourney winner.
 
Would rather see the MAC not expand, but if they do add Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee, I'd like to see them add either 2 or 4 Missouri Valley Conference (FCS) schools to go to 16 or 18. Several of those schools already generate more revenue than the current bottom 4-5 MAC schools between FCS football and Missouri Valley/Horizon/Summit basketball.

Give me NDSU and SDSU and the football brand improves (yes, even with FCS). Try to snag 2/3 between Northern Iowa, Illinois State and Indiana State and we might be able to balance out the expanded geography a bit more while getting into and solidifying multi-bid territory in basketball.
 
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The latest being reported on ESPNU is that the SEC/ND will not agree to eight if Power 5 Conference winners get automatic bids, they will only do it if they move to 12. Also if moving to 12 the SEC's preference is all neutral site games preferably at existing bowls. Same person said don't be surprised if they punt for another year at least and take this to the very end of negotiations, could get ugly especially if the Rose Bowl remains inflexible and the PAC 12 backs them. Fox also wants in and is prepared to make a bid for playoff games for the conferences they have an agreement with, (primarily the B1G which is a strong TV ratings conference and includes some big high income media markets) and a rotation between them and ESPN for the title game ala the Super Bowl. Finally the 12 team deal would have been finalized back in September if the Texas & Oklahoma to SEC wasn't leaked in the Houston Chronicle, SEC Commish Sankey had the entire thing planned out and was going to be crowned king of the South this Fall.
 
nwwarrior09 said:
Would rather see the MAC not expand, but if they do add Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee, I'd like to see them add either 2 or 4 Missouri Valley Conference (FCS) schools to go to 16 or 18. Several of those schools already generate more revenue than the current bottom 4-5 MAC schools between FCS football and Missouri Valley/Horizon/Summit basketball.

Give me NDSU and SDSU and the football brand improves (yes, even with FCS). Try to snag 2/3 between Northern Iowa, Illinois State and Indiana State and we might be able to balance out the expanded geography a bit more while getting into and solidifying multi-bid territory in basketball.
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as I posted on the toledo board, rather than just two, I'd rather they complete a southern division with mid FBS, high FCs and HBCU. Let's get Tenn St in here. E-W is rather limited in an all-sports conference. Going again the UMASS, UConn, Temple route and the MAC just isn't going to get the bball teams. If they could get the Academies, it would be worth it. I dont think that's going to happen.

Between the Appalachians and the Ozarks down to Mobile is the new middle America and a cohesive identity. It also strongly aligns with the Freedom Trail and established OOC travel times.
 
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FirestoneFan said:
I wish they would at least go to 8 teams:

My top 8 right now.
Georgia
Alabama
Michigan
Ohio State
Oklahoma
Michigan St
Iowa
Mississippi

Georgia/Florida should be a close one (we will see). Michigan/Michigan State will be a dogfight. Ohio State should win handily over PSU. Iowa/Wisconsin will be close. I think Mississippi loses to Auburn and Cincinnati moves into top 8 after this weeks games.
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I think people look at the current college playoff all wrong. It is essentially a 3 month playoff getting to the final four. Every week, there are elimiination games, we just don't call them that because teams play a full schedule. The big ten is weak as always, but the polls artifically put them up higher with some creative scheduling that kept alot of the conferences better team away from each other until later in the season. Penn State, Iowa has shown their faults. Michigan is going down and eventually Michigan State will drop as well. Ohio State will be left standing at the end, as usual and they won't have a significant win. Their loss to Oregon at home should keep them out of the playoff.
Meanwhile, you can have 8 if you want, but you'll just get another couple of SEC teams in the playoff.
 
My top 8 right now:
Georgia
Alabama
Ohio State
Michigan St
Oklahoma
Michigan
Oklahoma St
Cincinnati

I figure Georgia rolls today. Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan and Cincinnati win by at least a couple TD's. Michigan State should win but I see a very close game. Same with Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

If you want to go top 12:

Notre Dame
Iowa
Auburn
Baylor
 
SI had some updates today on CFP Expansion>

  • The 8 team option is officially scrapped, the SEC said that it is a non-starter. Its either the current 4 team option or 12 .
  • There is a new 12 team option being proposed by the new alliance, the alternate model grants automatic bids to the Power 5 champions plus the highest-ranked Group of 5 champion. The subcommittee’s original proposal gives automatic access to the six highest-ranked conference champions. Each format completes the field with six at-large selections based on rankings.
  • The Group of 5 schools are no fans of the new proposal, a higher ranked group of 5 conference champ team could be knocked out of an automatic bid if limited to just 1 Group of 5 team.
  • First-round games are expected to be on the campus of the high seeds, despite some leagues pushing back on that item for weather-related issues. Host schools, especially those located in northern climates, can have the flexibility to move a game to a regionally located indoor stadium of their choice.
  • The Rose Bowl continues to be an issue. Officials representing the historic game prefer it to kick off at its normal date and time, 2 p.m. local time on Jan. 1. They also wish to control the game’s television rights, something normally ceded to the CFP.
  • The commissioners have a monetary incentive to expand. Passing on expansion to 12 would be eschewing millions. A 12-team playoff in 2024 and 2025 would bring in a combined $450 million in additional television revenue, something SI reported last month.
  • Leaders are on a deadline. They have about two months to either settle on a new format to be implemented in 2024 or shelve expansion until 2026. The majority of commissioners are in favor of the subcommittee’s 12-team proposal.
 
Latest scoop is the 12-team could begin in 2023 or 2025, and which is largely tied to ESPN. Expanding for 2023 would mean an 10-year extension for ESPN.

If I had to guess, we won't see expansion till 2025. Schools want to see what TV $ they can get from multiple broadcasters. They will only pursue 2023 if ESPN is willing to waive their extension. I can't see ESPN doing that.
 
OK well my top 12 right now would be

Georgia
Alabama
Ohio State
Michigan
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma
Notre Dame
Wisconsin
Michigan State
Mississippi
Cincinnati
Iowa
 
Crusaders said:
Latest scoop is the 12-team could begin in 2023 or 2025, and which is largely tied to ESPN. Expanding for 2023 would mean an 10-year extension for ESPN.

If I had to guess, we won't see expansion till 2025. Schools want to see what TV $ they can get from multiple broadcasters. They will only pursue 2023 if ESPN is willing to waive their extension. I can't see ESPN doing that.
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The new comish at the Pac 12 wants to see other bids and thinks Fox will bring to the table big $s to get in. If the above is true four will be the number for a while.
 
I’d be fine with Fox being included in the playoff broadcasts if we didn’t have to listen to Gus Johnson. Joel Klatt is really good; Gus Johnson is self-parody cartoon character at this point who should stick to basketball where his schtick plays better.

It’s true, it’s true. Trust me …

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