College Football Playoff adopts new ‘5+7’ format to allow for more at-large bids

The College Football Playoff will look very different next season. (Robin Alam/Getty Images)

The College Football Playoff officially has a new format.

CFP leaders on Tuesday adopted a change to the 12-team expanded playoff model, moving to a “5+7” system that incorporates five automatic qualifying spots for the highest-ranked conference champions and seven at-large spots for the next highest-ranked teams. Officials scrapped the original proposal — 6+6 — after the latest realignment wave left the Pac-12 at two members, decreasing the AQ spots and increasing the at-large selections. The proposal received the necessary unanimous 11-0 support, ending a drama-filled last few weeks of pushback from the Pac-12.

For at least two more years, the Pac-12 retains a voting spot on the 11-member CFP Board of Managers, made up of a university president from the 10 FBS leagues and Notre Dame. Washington State president Kirk Schulz, the conference’s representative on the board, delayed a vote on the 5+7 move last month while WSU and Oregon State officials organized a proposal that he presented to board members Tuesday. The Pac-12 is seeking to be considered a power league, with P5 voting rights and revenue distribution, for years beyond 2025, the final year of the CFP’s contract with ESPN.

It’s unclear if a decision has been made on the proposal, but Schulz did not block the format change.

In an interview last week, Schulz acknowledged that the 5+7 change benefits the Pac-12’s remaining schools as it increases at-large spots. The league is not eligible for an automatic berth in the playoff because it falls short of the membership minimum needed for such (eight schools) — a change that commissioners adopted in November.

The expanded playoff begins next season. In the approved format, the four highest-ranked conference…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-02-20 16:19:45

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