There’s more at stake than just school pride and bragging rights in the discussions about which teams will make college football’s first 12-team playoff.
Over $115 million will be distributed to the conferences at the end of the season, depending on which teams make it in and how far they advance.
According to the College Football Playoff website, each of the 12 teams that make the bracket will earn their conferences $4 million. If a team makes it to the quarterfinals, their conference gets another $4 million. Teams that make it to the semifinals earn their conferences $6 million, and another $6 million goes to the teams that play in the championship game.
Most of this money comes from ESPN, which is paying $1.3 billion per year to broadcast the new postseason. Some of this money is already set aside for conferences like the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference, which get more money than the Big 12 or Atlantic Coast. However, a lot is still up for grabs in the 11 games that will be played from Dec. 20 to Jan. 20.
In total, the teams that make it to the title game will bring $20 million to their conferences. These conferences distribute this money, along with other revenue, in different ways. For example, in fiscal 2022-23, the Big Ten earned almost $880 million and gave out about $60.5 million to most of its members.
The large amount of money involved may explain why there’s so much lobbying in the lead-up to Sunday’s final rankings, which will determine the playoff bracket.
Earlier this week, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark criticized the selection committee, noting that no team from the Big 12 is ranked higher than 15. This puts the Big 12 at risk of only having one team make it into the playoff. The champion of the conference — either Arizona State or Iowa State — could end up being the fifth-best among the conference champions who get automatic bids. Only the top four of those teams get byes, and this could cost the Big 12 a spot in the quarterfinals, which means losing $4 million.
“The committee continues to show time and time again that they are paying attention to logos versus resumes,” Yormark said this week, criticizing the ranking of teams with two losses in his conference compared to teams with three losses in the SEC.
The ACC is also facing a one-bid situation, with only No. 8 SMU projected to make the bracket this week. Miami’s loss last week likely ended their playoff hopes, which left ACC commissioner Jim Phillips “incredibly shocked and disappointed.”
“As we look ahead to the final rankings, we hope the committee will reconsider and put a deserving Miami in the field,” Phillips said in a statement.
The lobbying and arguments affect the campuses and, of course, social media.
One of the more entertaining moments this week involved athletic directors from Iowa State and SMU arguing about which team deserved a spot more.
There are a few stray millions the selection committee can’t control, such as a $3 million payout to conferences that have a team in the playoff.
Also, a reminder that the student-athletes are in school: Conferences get $300,000 per football team that meets academic requirements to participate in the postseason. (This includes most teams).
