The College Football Playoff management committee is meeting in Dallas on Monday and Tuesday to work on the details of implementing the 12-team playoff for this fall. While no major decisions are expected to be made, weighty questions — thanks to drastic changes in conference realignment — surround the future of the sport’s postseason.
The 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick comprise the CFP’s management committee, but the power within the room has never been equal and never will be — a direct reflection of the leagues themselves. That divide continues to shift as the Big Ten has swelled to 18 teams and the SEC to 16.
Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey have developed a close working relationship — moreso than their predecessors, as evidenced by their new working group. While the playoff format is expected to be set for the next eight years — the expected length of the newest TV contracts with two additional years on the current one and six years on the new one — the conversations about money and access are only growing louder.
With a 12-team playoff that is currently structured to reward conference champions, the most likely model to be approved is automatic bids for the five highest-ranked conference champions plus the next seven highest-ranked teams (5+7). But as the so-called Power 2 leagues are positioned to pull away because of a resource gap, is that model destined for controversy?
The next two seasons will be the litmus test for how well it works — and the TV contract should provide stability — but conversations about how large the playoff field should be, who ultimately makes it and how they share the hundreds of millions in revenue have already begun.
Will 12 teams be the right number?
The last CFP deal lasted 10 years of a 12-year contract before a format change arrived. And while there’s no imminent format change beyond the new 12-team field, simple math would hint toward one being considered seriously before the eight years is up. One source called it “the elephant in the room,” as the Big Ten has grown to 18 teams and the SEC is at 16. That’s 34 programs, many of which were at the top of their former leagues.
In a meeting earlier this fall, Petitti initiated a discussion about a 16-team format, a source told ESPN. There’s no indication anything will change in the short term. Petitti’s perspective makes sense from a pure math and access standpoint, as he’s now in charge of 18 teams, many of whom harbor legitimate playoff expectations.
There’s a lot to sort out for the CFP before any format changes, and growth comes with complications.
CFP leaders will likely want the TV contract to include a clause or some language that addresses the possibility of the field expanding beyond 12 teams. Although ESPN is considering paying the hefty price tag of about $1.3 billion, a field larger than 12 teams would lead to increased costs, and at some point, diminishing returns. CFP sources have indicated the commissioners, presidents and chancellors want full control of how large the field is.
Why does access loom as a compelling topic?
Whether the playoff has four, 12, 16 or 100 teams, there will be fights over the final few spots. In an era of super conferences, the criteria for making the expanded field will be closely watched. Will those rules — and the people making them — change over time?
Currently, changes to the existing contract, structure and finances have to be unanimously approved by the 11 presidents and chancellors who have the ultimate authority over the playoff.
Should the Sun Belt have the same say as the SEC? Should the Big Ten have similar power to the MAC?
Those are questions being asked, and concerns being raised as this contract heads toward the finish line. Especially with unanimous approval needed on the 5+7 model, the revenue that will (or won’t) be allocated to new incoming ACC member SMU, and voting power being given to the remaining Pac-12 schools, Oregon State and Washington State.
Entering the last CFP contract nearly a decade ago, there was always going to be controversy over four teams being picked when there’s five major conferences (plus Notre Dame). This version’s inherent controversy will be rooted in the bye for conference champions that wouldn’t normally be ranked in the top four. (In 2022, for example, the model would have given ACC winner Clemson and Pac-12 winner Utah byes and bumped out TCU and Ohio State from the Top 4. Clemson and Utah finished No. 7 and No. 8 in the final CFP rankings.)
So while the Big Ten and SEC champs would be virtually guaranteed a bye as one of the highest ranked conference champions, there’s going to be increased tension as the SEC and Big Ten have both added significant brands and weakened other leagues. The 12-team model was set in motion before the moves of Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC and USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon took off for the Big Ten. Is the SEC No. 3 better than the ACC No. 2? Is the Big Ten No. 3 better than the Big 12 No. 2?
Those are the debates as we adjust to a system where multiple losses are going to become an accepted playoff résumé. Will the Big Ten and SEC push for a model with more guaranteed spots? Or does a model that just chooses the 12 highest ranked teams favor them more?
How will the revenue be distributed?
The College Football Playoff and ESPN are in midst of negotiations to keep the network as the sole rights holder of the event for the next eight years. Hundreds of millions of dollars will be pouring in, and CFP leaders are debating how it will be divided amongst the 10 FBS conferences and Notre Dame in the next contract (Year 13). Should the SEC and Big Ten get even more, as they will be the largest leagues and boast some of the most successful brands in the sport? Will SMU, which made the leap from Group of 5 to the Power 5 by joining the ACC, get a share of the CFP payout after taking limited money from the ACC? Or will the CFP deny the program Power 5 funding for the next two years and set a new precedent that accompanies future realignment?
Here’s what we know: Teams that reach the 12-team playoff will have the potential to earn a total of $20 million for their conference. Each team in the field will receive $4 million. Each team in the quarterfinals receives another $4 million. And another $6 million for each team in the semifinals. An additional $6 million will go to each team in the championship game — all revenue that goes to the league.
There is already a glaring CFP revenue gap between the Power 5 (Pac-12, ACC, SEC, Big 12 and Big Ten) and the Group of 5 (Conference-USA, Mid-American, Mountain West, Sun Belt and American Athletic Conference). Currently, about 80% of the CFP revenue goes to the Power 5, while 20% is allocated to the Group of 5. Now the commissioners have to determine how it will be shared amongst the “Power 4,” as the Pac-12 is on the verge of extinction following defections to other leagues.
For the 2023-24 academic year, the Big 12 (Texas), Pac-12 (Washington), SEC (Alabama) and Big Ten (Michigan) each received $6 million for having a team selected for a semifinal. Conferences also received $4 million for each team that competed in a New Year’s Six bowl that didn’t host a semifinal.
According to the most recent data from the CFP, each of the Power 5 conferences received $79.41 million in the spring of 2023 (almost $400 million total). The Group of 5 conferences shared $102.77 million. Notre Dame received a payment of $3.89 million by meeting the NCAA’s APR standard, while the other six independents shared $1.89 million.
In the past, the revenue was allocated based on contracts with the Orange, Rose and Sugar Bowls — bowl bids reserved for the champions of Power 5 conferences. In the new CFP contract, though, it’s possible the commissioners do away with the historical bowl tie-ins.
Jesse joined ESPN Chicago in September 2009 and covers MLB for ESPN.com.
The last-place Washington Nationals fired president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo and manager Davey Martinez, the team announced Sunday.
Rizzo, 64, and Martinez, 60, won a World Series with the Nationals in 2019, but the team has floundered in recent years. This season, the Nationals are 37-53 and stuck at the bottom of the National League East after getting swept by the Boston Red Sox this weekend at home. Washington hasn’t finished higher than fourth in the division since winning the World Series.
“On behalf of our family and the Washington Nationals organization, I first and foremost want to thank Mike and Davey for their contributions to our franchise and our city,” principal owner Mark Lerner said in a statement. “Our family is eternally grateful for their years of dedication to the organization, including their roles in bringing a World Series trophy to Washington, D.C.
“While we are appreciative of their past successes, the on-field performance has not been where we or our fans expect it to be. This is a pivotal time for our club, and we believe a fresh approach and new energy is the best course of action for our team moving forward.”
Mike DeBartolo, the club’s senior vice president and assistant general manager, was named interim GM on Sunday night. DeBartolo will oversee all aspects of baseball operations, including the MLB draft. An announcement will be made on the interim manager Monday, a day before the club begins a series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Rizzo has been the top decision-maker in Washington since 2013, and Martinez has been on board since 2018. Under Rizzo’s leadership, the team made the postseason four times: in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2019. The latter season was Martinez’s lone playoff appearance.
“When our family assumed control of the team, nearly 20 years ago, Mike was the first hire we made,” Lerner said. “Over two decades, he was with us as we went from a fledging team in a new city to World Series champion. Mike helped make us who we are as an organization, and we’re so thankful to him for his hard work and dedication — not just on the field and in the front office, but in the community as well.”
The Nationals are in the midst of a rebuild that has moved slower than expected, though the team didn’t augment its young core much during the winter. Led by All-Stars James Wood and MacKenzie Gore, Washington has the second-youngest group of hitters in MLB and the sixth-youngest pitching staff.
The team lost 11 straight games in a forgettable stretch last month. And during a 2-10 run in June, Washington averaged just 2.5 runs. Since June 1, the Nationals have scored one run or been shut out seven times. In Sunday’s 6-4 loss to Boston, they left 15 runners on base.
There was industry speculation over the winter that the Nationals would spend money on free agents for the first time in several years, but that never materialized. Instead, the team made minor moves, signing free agents Josh Bell and Michael Soroka, trading for first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and re-signing closer Kyle Finnegan. Now, the hope is a new management team, both on and off the field, can help change the franchise’s fortunes.
The rosters for the 2025 MLB All-Star Game will feature 19 first-timers — and one legend — as the pitchers and reserves were announced Sunday for the July 15 contest at Truist Park in Atlanta.
Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw, a three-time Cy Young Award winner who made his first All-Star team in 2011, was named to his 11th National League roster as a special commissioner’s selection.
Kershaw, who became only the fourth left-hander to amass 3,000 career strikeouts, is 4-0 with a 3.43 ERA in nine starts after beginning the season on the injured list. He joins Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera as a legend choice, after the pair of sluggers were selected in 2022.
Kershaw said he didn’t want to discuss the selection Sunday.
Overall, the 19 first-time All-Stars is a drop from the 32 first-time selections on the initial rosters in 2024.
Kershaw would be the sentimental choice to start for the National League, although Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, who leads NL pitchers in ERA and WAR, might be in line to start his second straight contest. Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler, a three-time All-Star, is 9-3 with a 2.17 ERA after Sunday’s complete-game victory and also would be a strong candidate to start.
“I think it would be stupid to say no to that. It’s a pretty cool opportunity,” Skenes said about the possibility of being asked to start by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “I didn’t make plans over the All-Star break or anything. So, yeah, I’m super stoked.”
Kershaw has made one All-Star start in his career, in 2022 at Dodger Stadium.
Among standout players not selected were New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto, who signed a $765 million contract as a free agent in the offseason, and Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts, who had made eight consecutive All-Star rosters since 2016.
Soto got off to a slow start but was the National League Player of the Month in June and entered Sunday ranked sixth in the NL in WAR among position players while ranking second in OBP, eighth in OPS and third in runs scored.
Earning his fifth career selection but first since 2021 is Texas Rangers righty Jacob deGrom, who is finally healthy after making only nine starts in his first two seasons with the Rangers and is 9-2 with a 2.13 ERA. He has never started an All-Star Game, although Skubal or Brown would be the favorite to start for the AL.
“Red carpet, that’s my thing,” Chisholm said. “I do have a ‘fit in mind.”
Rosters are expanded from 26 to 32 for the All-Star Game. They include starters elected by fans, 17 players (five starting pitchers, three relievers and a backup for each position) chosen in a player vote and six players (four pitchers and two position players) selected by league officials. Every club must be represented.
Acuna, Wood and Raleigh are the three All-Stars who have so far committed to participating in the Home Run Derby.
ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the Washington Wizards from 2014 to 2016 and the Washington Nationals from 2016 to 2018 for The Washington Post before covering the Los Angeles Dodgers and MLB for the Los Angeles Times from 2018 to 2024.
NEW YORK — The New York Yankees were seemingly in deep trouble Sunday when Juan Soto cracked a pitch to left field in the seventh inning.
The New York Mets, down two runs, were cooking up a rally with no outs. Francisco Lindor stood at first base, Pete Alonso loomed on deck, and Brandon Nimmo was in the hole. This was the heart of the Mets’ potent lineup. Given the Yankees’ recent woes, fumbling their two-run lead and suffering a Subway Series sweep at the hands of their neighbors — and a seventh straight loss — seemed almost fated.
Then Cody Bellinger charged Soto’s sinking 105 mph line drive, made a shoestring catch and fired a strike to first base for an improbable double play to secure a skid-snapping 6-4 win — and perhaps rescue the Yankees from another dreadful outcome.
“Considering the context of this week and everything,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, “that’s probably our play of the year so far.”
Soto’s line drive off Mark Leiter Jr. had a 10% catch probability, according to Statcast, but Bellinger, a plus defender at multiple positions who started at first base Saturday, was just able to snatch it before it touched the grass. Certain that he caught it clean, he made an 89.9 mph toss that reached first baseman Paul Goldschmidt on a line, over Lindor, who didn’t slide into the bag.
“I saw it in the air and had a really good beat on it,” said Bellinger, who went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk at the plate.
The Mets challenged the catch, but the call stood.
“That was incredible,” said Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge, who swatted his 33rd home run of the season in the fifth inning. “I’ve never seen something like that on the field.”
For the past week, a stretch Boone described as “terrible” for his ballclub, poor defense has been an issue for the Yankees. Physical errors. Mental lapses. Near disasters. The sloppiness helped sink a depleted pitching staff, more than offsetting the offense’s strong production.
That combination produced the team’s second six-game losing streak in three weeks and a three-game deficit in the American League East standings behind the first-place Toronto Blue Jays.
The surging Blue Jays won again Sunday to extend their winning streak to seven games and keep their division lead at three games, but Bellinger’s glove and arm ensured it didn’t grow to four.
“That was an unbelievable play,” Goldschmidt said. “Amazing catch and absolute cannon to me at first. To make that play was a game-changing play and potentially game-winning play for us today. And we needed it.”