Annoyed with the management of FBS commissioners, the School Soccer Playoff Board of Managers will meet Friday with a objective of adopting an expanded playoff bracket as quickly because the 2024 season, CBS Sports activities has discovered. The bracket would possible increase to 12 groups beneath the main proposal, which was the unique idea put in entrance of stakeholders from the CFP working group in June 2021.
The vote should be unanimous by the 11 members of the board. If enacted, enlargement would possible triple entry to the playoff from the present 4 groups. The 11-member board contains college CEOs representing every of the ten FBS conferences, plus Notre Dame president John Jenkins. Mississippi State president Mark Keenum informed ESPN earlier this 12 months that presidential intervention might come as quickly as subsequent summer time.
Apparently, the timeline has been moved up.
The commissioners failed of their try to succeed in consensus on a protracted, drawn-out course of that prolonged by 2020 and into February 2022. That is when the CFP formally introduced enlargement talks have been useless. The presumption then was that playoff enlargement must wait till not less than 2026 when the present deal expires with ESPN.
There’s nonetheless widespread assist for CFP media rights to exit to a number of bidders. If enlargement is instituted in 2024, ESPN would nonetheless have the rights to all of the video games for the ultimate two years of a 12-year deal. Sports activities Illustrated first reported the approaching CFP assembly.
If enlargement is accredited Friday, the playoff would transfer to not less than 12 groups, in keeping with one particular person collaborating within the course of. Nevertheless, that supply left the door open for a 16-team playoff to be thought of by the physique.
A 12-team playoff has been valued at $1.2 billion yearly, up from the present $600 million.
A subcommittee of commissioners developed a 12-team bracket that was favorably acquired in June 2021. The mannequin included six computerized qualifiers — the six highest-ranked convention champions — and 6 at-large groups. That will possible be the format adopted if enlargement settles on 12 groups. Such a bracket could possibly be adopted as a short-term placeholder with future enlargement to 16 groups if the board agrees to extend the sector, sources mentioned.
Requested if the presidents can obtain the required unanimous vote, an individual conversant in course of mentioned, “I do not assume now we have any selection.”
“We realized we have misplaced management the narrative as presidents,” the particular person continued. “We’re truly going to proceed with sure parameters ourselves.”
The board would solely approve enlargement as an idea. It will then be as much as the commissioners that comprise the CFP Administration Committee to supervise implementation. One of many key questions remaining is whether or not the CFP can discover sufficient sport websites (probably on campus for early-round video games) and put in place logistics corresponding to as resort rooms, observe services, and so forth. in a short while interval. Whereas these stay massive hurdles, a number of sources imagine all could possibly be cleared with 28 months to go till the primary expanded playoff.
“My response normally is, if individuals are prepared [to do it], something can occur,” mentioned Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson.
Thompson was one of many authentic 4 stakeholders a part of that working group to mannequin the 12-team bracket together with Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and former Large 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby.
Throughout a gathering the day of the CFP Nationwide Championship on Jan. 10, the commissioners of the ACC, Large Ten and Pac-12 voted towards enlargement, thus scuttling the concept. The ultimate complete was 8-3 in assist of enlargement, however once more, a unanimous vote was required. A supply within the room mentioned the Board of Managers largely anticipated to rubber stamp the commissioners’ vote that day however have been stunned by the variety of points nonetheless being labored by.
A presidential supply expressed frustration over not getting the “response” out of the commissioners that was wanted to maneuver enlargement ahead. Because the formal course of for enlargement began in 2019, 4 of the ten FBS commissioners have modified — Brett Yormark (Large 12), Kevin Warren (Large Ten), George Kliavkoff (Pac-12) and Jim Phillips (ACC).
The CFP just lately introduced the websites for the 2025 (Atlanta) and 2025 (South Florida) championship video games. These websites is not going to change if enlargement is adopted.
