College Football Playoff Board’s Vote on New 5+7 Postseason Model

The College Football Playoffs are finally opening up the potential for expansion, with the College Football Playoff board of managers set to vote on a new model for a 12-team playoff. This new model would include the five highest-ranked conference champions and the next seven highest-ranked teams. The “5+7 model” is one of the more equitable positions for expansion in an ever-shifting college football landscape, and becomes especially relevant to a now-decimated Pac-12 that saw 10 total teams depart for other conferences, leaving only Washington State and Oregon State remaining in the conference.

Washington State president and Pac-12 representative on the CFP board Kirk Schulz believes they may allow the re-formatting to pass unanimously, as there’s a sense of moving forward following delays in voting on format changes. While the conference continues to negotiate continued CFP revenue shares, Schulz voiced his support for the 5+7 model and considers these revenue share negotiations a separate conversation.

The request for continued revenue shares would also be considered “null and void if the Pac-12 dissolves, or if Washington State and Oregon State join another conference, or waive the right to the shares.” Additionally, Washington State and Oregon State are not eligible for the automatic bid as a conference champion in each of the next two seasons, as the Pac-12 reached a temporary scheduling agreement with the Mountain West to round out their schedules.

The CFP vote holds significant weight, as ESPN and the College Football Playoff agreed to a six-year, $7.8 billion contract extension to be the central provider of the format through the 2031-32 season, contingent on finalizing the expanded playoff format.