Faculty Soccer Playoff growth — Answering the most important lingering questions

Bored with ready for the commissioners to decide about increasing the Faculty Soccer Playoff, the 11 presidents and chancellors who comprise the CFP’s board of managers took management on Friday with a unanimous vote to expand the field to 12 groups in 2026.

The presidents have strongly urged the commissioners to attempt to implement the brand new format as quickly as 2024. The ten FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick will meet subsequent week in Irving, Texas, to begin that dialogue.

After greater than a 12 months of indecision and unproductive in-person conferences, the monumental change to the game’s postseason occurred swiftly — in a one-hour, digital assembly.

How did they lastly come to an settlement? Who advantages essentially the most from the brand new deal? And what comes subsequent?

Heather Dinich, Adam Rittenberg and Pete Thamel break all of it down.

Why are they increasing now?

The foundation of this growth, like most issues in faculty sports activities, comes again to cash.

Two weeks in the past, when the Board of Managers held an unscheduled name to arrange this second, there was a tone among the many presidents on the decision that they had been leaving an excessive amount of cash on the desk. The price of not increasing for the ultimate two years of the present Faculty Soccer Playoff contract was an estimated $450 million. And a supply informed ESPN that leaving a lot cash on the desk was the motivator for re-engaging. It is sure there will be a 12-team playoff after 2026. The subsequent few weeks ought to decide whether or not or not they will work out logistics in time to implement it any sooner.

When requested why now, on the Friday of Labor Day weekend and the opening of the school soccer season, Mississippi State president and CFP board chair Mark Keenum mentioned, “It is time.”

“It is time to decide,” he mentioned. “We have to give path to our commissioners. We felt like we wanted to provide them a definitive, ‘That is the place we’re. That is the place we predict faculty soccer must be headed so far as the playoff is anxious for our nationwide champion.’ … I do imagine our commissioners, they want this path from this board, and so I am happy that we had been capable of give it to them right now.” — Thamel

How did they find yourself at 12 over 8 or 16?

There has all the time been robust help at each the presidential and commissioner degree for 12 groups, and a part of it’s as a result of they just like the first-round byes for the highest 4 seeds, but in addition due to the workable logistics within the total faculty soccer calendar. Whereas there have been some who not less than wished to think about the potential of a 16-team format, there merely wasn’t sufficient curiosity.

“You begin getting down into a few of the particulars and logistics … after which any individual mentioned, ‘Properly, why cannot we take into consideration different choices?'” Keenum mentioned. “Properly, I am going to say this, all the presidents imagine that the 12-team format is the appropriate factor to do, for this time, at this second.” — Dinich

How does this have an effect on future convention realignment?

The largest reverberation is that the six at-large bids will function a lure to maintain Notre Dame unbiased within the fast future. With clear playoff entry and NBC showing motivated to maintain Notre Dame now that it has a slice of the Massive Ten, the 2 largest tentpoles to Irish independence seem set for the fast future.

As for the remainder of faculty soccer, this an enchanting query. The cash hole between the Energy Two of the Massive Ten and SEC stays giant. There’ll all the time be motivated colleges jockeying to hitch these leagues. However the truth that the bids going to the highest six convention champions provides a layer of certainty and safety to leagues just like the Pac-12 and Massive 12 which were damage by latest defections. Holistically, it helps the game. Realignment would occur unrelated to playoff entry. — Thamel

Who advantages most from an expanded playoff? Does it damage anybody?

The SEC has had essentially the most appearances (10), wins (14) and championships (5) in the course of the CFP period, and sure will improve its share of the sector with as much as seven obtainable slots. Though commissioner Greg Sankey repeatedly acknowledged the league was wonderful with a four-team playoff, the variety of CFP-capable applications in his league, plus the additions of Oklahoma and Texas, elevated the necessity for entry. The Massive Ten additionally stands to profit, because the league has packed the top-12 of the ultimate CFP standings, however has solely had six whole appearances by three groups within the four-team mannequin.

The mannequin additionally marks a major win for the Group of 5 conferences, which produced their first CFP participant within the four-team system final 12 months (Cincinnati) and unanimously supported the 12-team proposal. Not less than one Group of 5 program will make the 12-team playoff yearly, and the improved profiles of leagues such because the AAC and Solar Belt enhance the possibilities of two Group of 5 members in some years. Though Group of 5 members possible might be street groups taking part in in first-round matchups, they lastly have a real seat on the desk.

The vote is nice information for Notre Dame, which could have six entry factors as a substitute of 4. Athletics director Jack Swarbrick was a part of the four-man working group that in June 2021 offered the 12-team mannequin, which was later adopted. He remained an ardent supporter and ally to Sankey and others in the course of the tense commissioner conferences that adopted.

There are not any apparent losers in an expanded playoff, though the annual distribution of groups might reinforce the hole between the SEC and the Massive Ten and the opposite energy conferences. A mannequin guaranteeing spots for the six highest-rated convention champions creates the potential of leagues such because the Pac-12, Massive 12 or ACC being omitted fully, which might sting in a number of methods. The Pac-12 hasn’t had a CFP crew since 2016, whereas the Massive 12’s solely CFP participant, Oklahoma, quickly will depart for the SEC. However a postseason system that triples the variety of spots ought to, in idea, assist each energy league.

— Rittenberg

What does this imply for Notre Dame’s independence?

Notre Dame’s robust desire is to stay an FBS unbiased nicely into the longer term. Soccer independence is central to the college’s id, and there is a perception round faculty athletics that Swarbrick and president the Rev. John Jenkins, each 68, do not wish to be the leaders to relinquish that standing earlier than they retire.

Swarbrick’s enter and help for the 12-team mannequin underscores his perception that it’s going to permit Notre Dame to keep up its place whereas nonetheless having the required entry to compete for nationwide championships. Whereas some playoff stakeholders have been much less keen to compromise, Notre Dame authorised a system the place it might by no means obtain a first-round bye, making the trail to a championship considerably tougher.

Notre Dame will stay an growth goal for any league, particularly the Massive Ten, which has coveted the varsity for many years. However Notre Dame is much less motivated by cash than different growth candidates, and has left hundreds of thousands on the desk to stay unbiased in soccer. Notre Dame all the time was extra prone to be a part of a convention due to playoff entry points or the shortcoming to craft a nationally aggressive schedule. Though scheduling considerations might enhance due to realignment, Notre Dame is positioned to repeatedly compete for one of many six at-large spots. Notre Dame has twice made the four-team CFP and has completed within the top-15 of the ultimate CFP rankings yearly since 2017.

— Rittenberg

Is that this the final time we see playoff growth?

One among many unanswered questions is how lengthy the subsequent contract might be, which can assist decide how dedicated the presidents are to this format. The present contract was 12 years, and it is likely to be solely 10 earlier than they modify the four-team area. If there’s one factor that is sure about faculty athletics, it is that nothing is definite for any size of time.

Keenum could not assist however snicker just a little when he referenced his head coach, Mike Leach, who has acknowledged publicly and repeatedly he’s in favor of a 64-team format.

“Will we all the time be at a 12-team [format]? I can not reply that,” Keenum mentioned. “We proceed to search for methods to additional enhance the playoff going ahead … And my goodness, I’ve a head soccer coach who thinks we should have a 64-team playoff. I imply, that is what he believes, so my level is there’s all the time going to be room for enchancment.” — Dinich