College Football Playoff Leaders Continue Talks on 24-Team Model

College Football Playoff leaders continued discussing a 24-team model Wednesday, but they did not vote on potential calendar or scheduling changes for the 2027 season. CFP executive director Rich Clark said the talks took place as negotiations with ESPN continue.

The regularly scheduled meeting was held at Big Ten headquarters in Rosemont, Illinois. Clark addressed the discussions from the lobby after the meeting.

The CFP is negotiating with ESPN during a window lasting 30 days. ESPN is the sole rights holder of the event.

Clark said CFP leaders had worked through many other matters connected to expansion before beginning negotiations. The potential revenue remains unknown during the current discussions.

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“I think we’ve worked through a lot of the other issues that are associated with expansion, and those things needed to happen before we started any kind of a negotiation,” Clark said. “[Money] is not the only consideration, but right now it is an unknown because we have no idea what the revenue that could be generated is.”

The negotiation period with ESPN concludes Oct. 9, according to Clark. After that date, the event would go to the open market.

The CFP also has until Dec. 1 to determine whether its format will change in time for the 2027 season. Clark indicated that officials could use the entire negotiation period before reaching the next stage.

“I certainly would say we reserve the right to use the whole window,” Clark said. “It is detailed and in-depth, and there’s a lot of issues to cover. It’s a 30-day window for a reason, and we may need to use it all.”

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The CFP management committee is still working through possible dates for a 24-team field next season. The future of conference championship games remains a decision for each conference, Clark said.

A 24-team field would likely eliminate the Power 4 championship games, which sources value at around $200 million. The Group of 6 conferences would not have to eliminate their title games, and some have privately expressed a strong desire to retain them.

Clark said the preferred calendar would include an off-week after the regular season ends and before the playoff begins. He cited the health and safety of the players when discussing that possible break.

The location of games in the second round also remains under discussion. Clark said those contests would “most likely” take place at campus sites, while noting that the matter has not been settled.

Scheduling between the Power 4 leagues was another issue before the group. The SEC has requested a more unified model requiring each Power 4 league to schedule 10 opponents from the Power 4 or Notre Dame.

The ACC, Big 12 and SEC mostly already follow that scheduling model. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti has publicly said he would agree to the proposed approach, but Clark said the detail was not finalized Wednesday.

The management committee also spent considerable time discussing how a 24-team field could affect the regular season. Clark said the impact remained difficult to determine with certainty.

“The regular season is prime, and what happens to the regular season is important to us because we’re here for the regular season,” Clark said. “It’s not the other way around.”

No additional meeting held in person is currently scheduled. Clark said the management committee provided guidance on matters to consider as negotiations move forward.

“The negotiations will continue,” Clark said. “We got guidance from the management committee on things to consider, and if we need more, we’ll get together as needed.”

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