The 10 FBS conferences and Notre Dame signed a new $1.3 billion television deal with ESPN on Friday, effective starting with the 2026 season, officials confirmed to CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd. The new television deal was locked down as the conference and Notre Dame agreed to a revenue-sharing model, but officials agreed to a memorandum of understanding that guarantees the field will consist of at least 12 teams in 2026, with an option to expand to 14 teams. signed. at a later date. It is expected that 14 teams will participate in CFP Field for the 2026 college football season.
The new contract is scheduled to pay The Big Ten and SEC will account for 29% of the upcoming contract, officials told Dodd, which equates to about $22 million per school. The ACC will receive him 17% ($13 million to $14 million per school) and the Big 12 will receive about 15% ($12 million per school). This number represents an overall increase, as all Power Five institutions received about $5 million per school in his previous contract.
An important next step for CFP stakeholders is finalizing the format. The playoffs will be expanded from four teams to 12 teams in the 2024 and 2025 seasons, the final year of the current deal, but the format after 2026 has been a source of debate. One of his proposed 14-team models would have guaranteed byes for the Big Ten and SEC champions. However, the proposal quickly lost momentum after receiving significant backlash.
These two conferences are expected to expand, with 34 of college football's top brands scheduled to participate starting in 2024, giving the conferences significant influence in the conversation. Still, the group's ability to reach a financial agreement deemed mutually agreeable for all 10 FBS conferences is a sign that perhaps an agreement on format could be reached in the near future. According to ESPN, the Big Ten and SEC will have a lot of control over finalizing the new format.
The Group of Five would split 9% of the contract, but that number may not be split evenly between the teams and the five conferences. Independent schools will get a 50-50 cut of 1%, while Notre Dame will receive the lion's share, about $12 million.
