Conference commissioner on CFP committee says TV renewal report not accurate
By Andrew Olson
Published:
On Tuesday, The Athletic reported that the College Football Playoff had agreed to a mega extension with ESPN. A new report, however, shows that is not yet the case.
Ross Dellenger revealed Sunday that Yahoo Sports obtained a memo from MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher, who serves on the CFP Management Committee, calling reports of an extension incorrect.
“Several news outlets are reporting that a new six-year television deal has been concluded for the College Football Playoff,” Steinbrecher wrote in Feb. 13 email. “Be advised, these reports are incorrect. Neither the Management Committee (commissioners) nor the Board of Managers (presidents) have reviewed a draft agreement nor has any vote been taken.”
The CFP Management Committee is an 11-member group of conference commissioners and Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick. The Yahoo article explains that the Management Committee would make a recommendation to the Board of Managers, the CFP’s highest governing body, for the adoption of any decisions.
The deal reported by The Athletic was set to be a 6-year extension totaling $7.8 billion. The $1.3 billion per year would be a big step up from the current deal with two years remaining, which averages $608 million per year for the CFP and New Year’s Six games. The reported extension was to run through 2031-32.
The mega media deal reports come as the CFP is expanding from 4 teams to 12 beginning with the 2024 college football season.
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Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
