After an extended negotiation between the College Football Playoff (CFP) and ESPN, the two reached a media rights deal that will double the CFP field to 24 and eliminate conference championship games.
\n\nAccording to On3’s Pete Nakos, the two sides agreed on a 5-year, $1.7 billion deal that will bring the 24-team playoff to fruition in 2027.
\n\n“The field will be built with a ’19+4+1′ model with 19 at-large bids, four reserved for Power Four champions and one for the highest-rated Group of Six champ,” CBS Sports reports. “First- and second-round games would be played on campuses. The quarterfinal and semifinal games will continue to be played in traditional bowls like the Sugar Bowl, Rose Bowl and Cotton Bowl.”
\n\nThe move comes after much resistance from SEC Chairman Greg Sankey, who, along with ESPN, at least initially, preferred a 16-team format that would have preserved the conference championship games. However, Sankey and his broadcast partner eventually relented to the 24-team format championed by the Big 10 but also supported by the ACC, Big 12, and Notre Dame.
\n\nWhile the Power 4 conferences will make more money under the 24-team playoff, they wouldn’t do it otherwise; the driving force behind the…
Original source: https://www.breitbart.com/sports/
