By Rock Westfall
The ESPN and CFP deal is being held up by the Big Ten and SEC’s power and greed. Now, the oddball number of 14 teams is being proposed. As work progresses, the Superpower Two are coming off as arrogantly bullying the other leagues.
A Power Squeeze Play Ignites Burning Resentment and Tumult
This month, it was learned that ESPN and the College Football Playoff agreed to a $7.8 billion deal that would run through 2031-32. But the current 12-team format would run only in 2024-25 and 2025-26 with no plans set for the remaining years.
The so-called 5+7 (12 teams) model was assumed to be a fixture of the future. But a combination of the Big Ten and SEC flexing a power pose and the desperation of the other leagues to have bids assured has prevented a final signature on the agreement.
Those on the inside have described the current situation as a “mess,” “potential disaster,” and “embarrassing.” There has been speculation of an Armageddon scenario of no playoff at all.
Of major concern is that the meetings are getting more contentious and ugly. Tempers are flaring. The Big Ten and SEC are in hostile corporate takeover mode. And it’s causing bitterness, resentment, and rebellion.
One hopeless and naïve soul (obviously not connected to the SEC or Big Ten) whined about the loss of collegiality with cutthroat corporate tactics replacing it. The lament sounded as if it could be the hapless former Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff, who in 2022 had his arm removed by then Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren in humiliating fashion. But Kliavkoff was sent packing last week. Thus, it could be anyone except SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey and Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti.
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Good old-fashioned greed and ego are at the heart of the debates and delays. The Big Ten and SEC demand more automatic bids than everyone else. The lesser two of the Power Four (Big 12 and ACC) are feeling the squeeze, as are the Group of Five leagues. Everyone wants more but is getting less. As a result, truly stupid ideas are being advanced.
Ideally, the people that run the College Football Playoff wouldn’t be discussing expanding the soon-to-be expanded College Football Playoff before the soon-to-be expanded College Football Playoff has even officially expanded. https://t.co/0ABXpkplAq
— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) February 22, 2024
If the CFP Expands to 14 Teams, Why Not 16 Instead?
When it comes to Sankey and Petitti, it’s all about the bottom line. In 2024 the Big Ten will have 18 teams and the SEC 16. And many of those 34 programs are the elite name brands of the sport. So, if you work in the accounting or power politics department, it makes sense that Sankey and Petitti would get the most playoff slots.
But if you are a college football fan who does not want an NFL model, you are getting laughed out of the conversation with the forlorn Mr. Collegiality vs. Corporate Guy. The reality is that the greater good only pertains to the Superpower Two. The Big 12, ACC, and Group of Five are at the mercy of Sankey and Petitti.
The two commissioners are aware of optics, however. The trick for them is to be greedy without looking like it. They want to look charitable and caring about the greater good and the sport when that’s not a consideration. And those optics are how you get a proposed 14-team playoff, which is convoluted cloddishness in its finest form—what an absurd, ridiculous number. If you are going to do 14, you may as well do 16, which makes much more sense.
Change is coming to the College Football Playoff: More automatic qualifiers.
On Wednesday, CFP leaders explored a variety of new models that grant multiple AQs (10-12 total) to the four power conferences in a 14-team format with two byes.
Buckle up.https://t.co/ESdyLqiaHJ
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) February 22, 2024
16 Teams Offers a Superior Solution on Many Fronts
With a 16-team format, which Petitti has mentioned, you get all of the qualifying teams in the first round with on-campus home games for the top eight seeds, most of whom would be iconic brands with historic venues. Perhaps even the second round could also be on-campus affairs. Especially if college football adopts the brilliant idea of starting the season earlier in August.
Even better, a 16-team playoff format could kill off the conference championship games, most of which are already unnecessary and terrible. The compressed fall calendar and increased value of playoff games are why those snoozefests would mercifully die.
It’s impossible to fathom how TV would not want a nice round number of eight first-round games with no byes that would include the top two superpower seeds.
Also, with 16 teams, the leagues will all get at least some measure of satisfaction. The Big Ten and SEC can hog most of the slots but with enough left over for everyone else. Thus, Sankey and Petitti would look less greedy, and the rest of the commissioners could claim a slice of victory.
College football regular season was🔥
College football is taking away big time from their regular season and rewarding losing
I hated the jump from 4 to 12. 6 or 8 teams max for the playoff. Now you have that 🤡 Tony Petitti pushing for 16 teams? 🤢 😡 https://t.co/6S47qZQ9bU
— Zach Gelb (@ZachGelb) February 21, 2024
The NFL Model Consumes God’s Game
We face the prospect of a sport and a culture unrecognizable from what made us initially fall in love with it. College Football was about numerous leagues with a bountiful buffet of brands, wildly intriguing variety, and cultures that resembled warring nations. It was never about antiseptic uniformity and consolidation. That’s why God invented the NFL.
Suppose college football fans wanted a marathon season based on TV network diktats, executive leadership greed, ego, resentment, player entitlement, selfishness, free agency, and the bag. Then they would watch the NFL. There’s a reason why CFB has been so popular for so long because traditionally, it didn’t have that.
College Football is about to sell its soul with some Deal With the Devil. This deal is not about the greater good, maintaining the game’s unique culture, or the inclusion of successful quality programs not currently part of the Super Power Two. It’s all about raw power and greed.
In other words, college football’s future is not college football. At least as we have known and loved it.
https://twitter.com/alex_kirshner/status/1760494341041410541
