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The College Football Playoff is set to expand in 2024, and ESPN reached a new agreement to air the postseason action through the 2031-32 season. What does the contract extension mean for CFB?
Big news came out of the college football world on Tuesday. The College Football Playoff and ESPN agreed to a long-term contract extension that will keep ESPN the home of the new 12-team format for the foreseeable future. ESPN has broadcasted the CFP since it began ahead of the 2014 season.
With the format expanding from four to 12 teams, the number of games will go from three to 11. Needless to say, ESPN and the CFP will have the opportunity to capitalize financially.
What are the details of the new agreement, and what does it mean for viewers? Let's dive in.
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Contract Extension Details
ESPN and the CFP agreed to a six-year extension worth $7.8 billion, according to The Athletic's Andrew Marchand, Nicole Auerbach, Stewart Mandel, and Chris Vannini. ESPN is currently paying $608 million per year for the rights to broadcast the semifinals and the title game, and that figure will rise to around $1.3 billion per year after the 2025-26 season.
The new deal will be finalized when the CFP leaders sort out the specifics of how the new format will operate. The Pac-12 was initially supposed to earn an automatic bid, but with 10 members of the conference departing ahead of the 2024-25 season, changes will need to be sorted out and made.
ESPN will also have the ability to sublicense games to other networks at its discretion.
NEWS: ESPN and the College Football Playoff are in agreement on a 6-year, $7.8 billion rights extension pending the CFP resolving all of its outstanding issues, The Athletic has learned (With @NicoleAuerbach, @slmandel, @ChrisVannini )https://t.co/9icvebTzS2
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) February 13, 2024
How Will The 12-Team Format Work?
As mentioned above, the CFP committee will have to finalize a stricture for qualifying, but the first round of the new-look format will feature on-campus games. The No. 5, 6, 7, and 8 seeds will host the No. 9, 10, 11, and 12 seeds in the first round. ESPN will own the rights to those games and the neutral site contests in the quarterfinals, semifinals, and championship games.
Based on AP Poll rankings, here is how a 12-team playoff would look if the 2023 season ended today, Via @BCrawford247 🔥
READ - https://t.co/lNwY7KGlJA pic.twitter.com/gD0SEQYunN
— 247Sports (@247Sports) October 10, 2023
Ultimately, ESPN's new contract with the CFP won't bring much change to the consumer, as it has aired every game of the CFP era thus far.
Bowl Game Rotations
The bowl sites that host each round of the new-look CFP will vary from year to year. Here's a look at the 2024-25 and 2025-26 locations:
2024 Season
First Round (On-Campus)
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- Friday, December 20, 2024: One Game (evening)
- Saturday, December 21, 2024: Three Games (early afternoon, late afternoon, and evening)
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Quarterfinals
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- Tuesday, December 31, 2024: Vrbo Fiesta Bowl (evening)
- Wednesday, January 1, 2025: Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (early afternoon), Rose Bowl Game (late afternoon), and Allstate Sugar Bowl (evening)
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Semifinals
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- Thursday, January 9, 2025: Capital One Orange Bowl (evening)
- Friday, January 10, 2025: Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic (evening)
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CFP National Championship
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- Monday, January 20, 2025: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
2025 Season
First Round (On-Campus)
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- Friday, December 19, 2025: One Game (evening)
- Saturday, December 20, 2025: Three Games (early afternoon, late afternoon, and evening)
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Quarterfinals
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- Wednesday, December 31, 2025: Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic (evening)
- Thursday, January 1, 2026: Capital One Orange Bowl (early afternoon), Rose Bowl Game (late afternoon), and Allstate Sugar Bowl (evening)
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Semifinals
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- Thursday, January 8, 2026: Vrbo Fiesta Bowl (evening)
- Friday, January 9, 2026: Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (evening)
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CFP National Championship
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- Monday, January 19, 2026: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
