The number of spots reserved for conference champions when the College Football Playoff expands, growing from four teams to 12 beginning with the 2024 season, remained open for discussion Wednesday, when administrators who manage the postseason wrapped up meetings that mostly focused on potential television partners.
The CFP management committee, which is composed of 10 conference commissioners and the athletic director at powerful independent Notre Dame, gathered for a day and a half at the Big Ten offices just outside of Chicago.
Bill Hancock, the executive director of the playoff, said potentially tweaking the format that will go into effect next season to adjust the number of conference champions in the field of 12 was not discussed. The current model calls for the six highest-rated conference champs and six at-large selections to make up the field.
With conference realignment putting the future of the Pac-12 in doubt, Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey and others have indicated the number of league champions in the playoff could be dropped to five, making seven at-large bids available.
“Until we know for sure how many conferences we will have, we can’t say for sure how many conference champions will be in the playoff,” Hancock said.
The Pac-12 is losing 10 of its current members to other power conferences next year. Oregon State and Washington State, for now, will be the remaining Pac-12 members and have indicated they would like to continue the conference, but how that plays out remains to be seen.
“Until the Pac-12 resolves itself, I don’t want to deal with the hypothetical,” said Jack Swarbrick, Notre Dame’s AD.
Among the possibilities being considered by the Pacific Northwest rivals is trying to operate as a two-team conference for a year.
Jayathi Murthy, Oregon State’s president, said in an open letter to university supporters on Wednesday that the collapse of the Pac-12 could cause athletic revenue to decline as much as 44%.
Hancock said the CFP managers did authorize starting the search process for four more championship sites. Those sites are in place through the title game for the 2025 season.
Hancock said five potential media partners gave presentations to the group, and he added that other networks are also interested but could not attend. He declined to identify the media companies, but Mark Silverman, the president of Fox Sports, attended part of the meeting Wednesday.
“They were more strategic presentations,” Swarbrick said. “There was no numbers. It was all about here’s how we approach the CFP, here’s why we’d be a good partner.”
ESPN owns the rights to the CFP through the 2025 season, but playoff expansion to 12 games creates more inventory over the next two years. Hancock has said ESPN as the current rights holder will get the first crack at the new inventory, but other networks are interested and could get involved.
Beyond 2025, there are no CFP contracts in place, and the bidding for the media rights will be wide open.
As for deciding whether to adjust the 6-6 model to 5-7, Swarbrick said it is not an urgent matter: “I know it’s of public interest, but there’s nobody in the room saying, ‘Hey, we got to have this discussion right now.'”
Aggies must adjust
Texas A&M quarterback Conner Weigman will miss the remainder of the regular season with a right foot injury he sustained during last week’s win against Auburn, Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher said Wednesday.
Weigman limped off the field in the second quarter of Saturday’s home game in College Station and did not return. Max Johnson played the second half and led the Aggies to a 27-10 victory.
“He was having some pain,” Fisher said Wednesday during SEC coaches teleconference, adding that X-rays and an MRI “didn’t show anything. Thought it was a normal sprain. Then got a CT scan and it showed us some things in there that they’re going to have to go in and fix and get that done.”
Johnson will start Saturday when Texas A&M (3-1, 1-0) hosts Arkansas (2-2, 0-1).
Weigman had thrown for 979 yards with eight touchdowns and two interceptions this season.
Johnson, an LSU transfer with starting experience, threw two touchdown passes last week. He started three games for Texas A&M last season, but a hand injury led to him being replaced by Weigman.
Trigg leaves Rebels
Ole Miss tight end Michael Trigg has left the program during his second season with the program since transferring.
On Wednesday, Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin confirmed previous reports that Trigg had left the team. Trigg had played in 10 games since transferring from the University of Southern California along with quarterback Jaxson Dart before last season. He caught 21 passes for 221 yards and four touchdowns, including four catches for 65 yards and a touchdown in three games this season.
“We wish him nothing but the best,” Kiffin said. “He’s not part of our program.”
Trigg’s bio has been removed from the Rebels’ website.
During the offseason, Ole Miss brought in Memphis transfer Caden Prieskorn, who missed the first three games with an injury before making his debut against Alabama.