All nine FBS conferences and Notre Dame have agreed to the next College Football Playoff contract, which will begin in 2026 and bring the sport's postseason much closer to an expected 14-team field with guarantees for conference champions.
"Starting in 2026, the new six-year agreement will codify the further financial separation of the expanded Big Ten and SEC from everyone else in college athletics. The Group of 5 commissioners were in a difficult position without any negotiating power but faced the alternative of being excluded from the CFP.
"It's like the Godfather's offer you can't refuse," one Group of 5 athletic director told ESPN on Thursday.
The financial distribution for the expected 14-team playoff will look radically different. On an annual basis, for example, Big Ten and SEC schools will each be making more than $21 million, up from the nearly $5.5 million that schools in Power 5 conferences are currently being paid.
In the ACC, the schools will get more than $13 million annually, and Big 12 schools will get more than $12 million each. Notre Dame is expected to get more than $12 million as well."
College Playofffs
"Starting in 2026, the new six-year agreement will codify the further financial separation of the expanded Big Ten and SEC from everyone else in college athletics. The Group of 5 commissioners were in a difficult position without any negotiating power but faced the alternative of being excluded from the CFP.
"It's like the Godfather's offer you can't refuse," one Group of 5 athletic director told ESPN on Thursday.
The financial distribution for the expected 14-team playoff will look radically different. On an annual basis, for example, Big Ten and SEC schools will each be making more than $21 million, up from the nearly $5.5 million that schools in Power 5 conferences are currently being paid.
In the ACC, the schools will get more than $13 million annually, and Big 12 schools will get more than $12 million each. Notre Dame is expected to get more than $12 million as well."
College Playofffs
