CFP Board Weighs Breaking Away from the NCAA

The landscape of college sports may change once again as the College Football Playoff’s board of managers considers restructuring how the sport is governed, according to ESPN.

The board, which consists of 11 college presidents and chancellors, is weighing the option for major college football not only to be governed outside the NCAA — which doesn’t oversee any portion of the sport’s postseason — but by the CFP itself.

• Discussions are in the early stages, and no restructuring is imminent. 
• A restructure would provide autonomy for rule-making decisions in college football.
• It would allow smaller-budgeted schools to avoid conforming to decisions made by larger universities.

The board of managers has also considered changes to the CFP, which annually sees four teams play in two semifinal games, with the winner of each playing for a national championship title.

A new CFP format could be in place by the end of its current contract, which expires after the 2025 season.

Money Maker

Now more than ever, college football provides a lucrative opportunity for the NCAA, its member institutions, and conferences. 

On Thursday, the Big Ten secured the largest-ever media rights contract in college sports with a deal worth at least $7 billion, sources confirmed to Front Office Sports. 

The Big Ten plans to “dominate” Saturday football, according to the conference.

The deal, which includes all sports, will have rights shared between FOX, CBS, NBC, and Peacock. The expensive pact runs from July 1, 2023, through the end of the 2029-30 season.