FBS, CFP, and Conference Media Contracts

[Steve81]

Think it's time to have a central FBS place to post media contracts and FBS distribution information.

Will start with a series of post as the early CFP link now goes to an updated link and will do this one from memory.
FBS distribution was set with 64.5% going to power conferences, which distribute by team so the number of P conferences does not matter. The 0.5% for indy is split by indy teams. ND gets 1.5%. All FCS conferences split 1%. G5 conferences split by conference and is 32.5% share of the pie. Within those shares is 300k per team that make the APR grade and if a team does not meet the APR, the money goes to the conference.

[Steve81]

The 2023-24 revenue is as follows and will provide the link. https://collegefootballplayoff.com/spor ... ution.aspx

The following is a breakdown of the CFP revenue distribution:

• For the 2023-24 academic year:

1. Each conference will receive $300,000 for each of its schools when the school’s football team meets the NCAA’s APR for participation in a postseason football game. Each independent institution will also receive $300,000 when its football team meets that standard.
2. A conference will receive $6 million for each team that is selected for a Playoff Semifinal. There will be no additional distribution to conferences whose teams qualify for the national championship game. A conference will receive $4 million for each team that plays in a non-playoff bowl under the arrangement.
3. Each conference whose team participates in a Playoff Semifinal, Cotton, Fiesta, or Peach bowls, or in the national championship game, will receive $2.85 million to cover expenses for each game.

• Based on calculations from the 2022-23 season, the following distributions were made in the spring of 2023 (Estimates for the 2023-24 season will be finalized following the 2024 CFP National Championship.):

1. Each of the 10 conferences received a base amount. For conferences that have contracts for their champions to participate in the Orange, Rose, or Sugar bowls, the base combined with the full academic performance pool was approximately $79.41 million for each conference. The five conferences that do not have contracts for their champions to participate in the Orange, Rose or Sugar bowls received approximately $102.77 million in aggregate (full academic pool plus base). The conferences distribute these funds as they choose. Notre Dame received a payment of $3.89 million by meeting the APR standard; the other six independents shared $1.89 million.
2. Certain conferences in the Football Championship Subdivision received approximately $3.08 million in aggregate.

[Steve81]

HOUSTON -- The College Football Playoff and ESPN are in the midst of negotiations to maintain the network as the sole rights holder of the event for the next eight years, sources told ESPN on Monday.

The deal would include the final two years on the current CFP contract plus a new six-year agreement for the next iteration of the playoff, sources told ESPN.

If ESPN remains the sole rights holder, it would be a significant change from what the 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick had originally wanted, as all had been in agreement that multiple broadcast partners -- a model similar to what the NFL has -- would be best for college football.

While nothing has been finalized and negotiations are ongoing, sources indicated that ESPN is considering paying approximately $1.3 billion for the rights to the new six-year deal starting in the 2026 season.
...
A sublicense agreement was a sticking point that has been settled, according to sources. The agreement would give ESPN the ability to sell the rights to some of the games -- something Fox Sports would be interested in, sources indicated.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/s ... s-contract

[ZooMass84]

Think it's time to have a central FBS place to post media contracts and FBS distribution information.

Will start with a series of post as the early CFP link now goes to an updated link and will do this one from memory.
FBS distribution was set with 64.5% going to power conferences, which distribute by team so the number of P conferences does not matter. The 0.5% for indy is split by indy teams. ND gets 1.5%. All FCS conferences split 1%. G5 conferences split by conference and is 32.5% share of the pie. Within those shares is 300k per team that make the APR grade and if a team does not meet the APR, the money goes to the conference.

The 0.5% for indy is split by indy teams
So us and UCan't split 0.5% so 0.25% each of a mega number???? maybe we'll stay indy

[McKinney]

Think it's time to have a central FBS place to post media contracts and FBS distribution information.

Will start with a series of post as the early CFP link now goes to an updated link and will do this one from memory.
FBS distribution was set with 64.5% going to power conferences, which distribute by team so the number of P conferences does not matter. The 0.5% for indy is split by indy teams. ND gets 1.5%. All FCS conferences split 1%. G5 conferences split by conference and is 32.5% share of the pie. Within those shares is 300k per team that make the APR grade and if a team does not meet the APR, the money goes to the conference.

The 0.5% for indy is split by indy teams
So us and UCan't split 0.5% so 0.25% each of a mega number???? maybe we'll stay indy

Looks like it'd be at least twice as much to move to a G5 conference as it is Indy.

Indy: 25bps
C-USA: 54bps (32.5% / 5 G5 conferences / 12th member )
MAC: 46-50bps (32.5% / 5 G5 conferences / 13th or 14th member)

[Merlin Samuels]

This worries me. With talk of SMU being frozen out of the ACC’s playoff payout (at least until the new contract), that would mean if UMass isn’t in a G5 conference before the next CFP deal is done, we’re at risk of being frozen out. It think this needs to happen ASAP and is exactly why Delaware took the C-USA offer.

I really hope this is on Bamford and co.’s radar as a top priority.

[stevemaz]

There is no doubt we need to get into conference. I would take the CUSA bid for 2025 and maybe something will open up for us from there.

[DougW]

There is no doubt we need to get into conference. I would take the CUSA bid for 2025 and maybe something will open up for us from there.

Do we know if CUSA has actually extended an offer to UMass or are we just hoping they will? My apologies if the answer to this question has already been posted.

[Quann]

Bamford leading from behind as usual.

[Steve81]

There is no doubt we need to get into conference. I would take the CUSA bid for 2025 and maybe something will open up for us from there.

Do we know if CUSA has actually extended an offer to UMass or are we just hoping they will? My apologies if the answer to this question has already been posted.

Several media posts in December and no denials from the Administration.

Adding details about the media posts.
From Chris Vannini, The Athletic, Dec 29th, 2023. Paywall https://theathletic.com/5165372/2023/12 ... ed_article

CUSA will add Kennesaw State next summer and Delaware in summer 2025, both from the FCS. After getting to nine members, the league took its time with expansion, favoring schools with success and infrastructure in place. It wants to get to 12 members. UMass is the top option, but only as an all-sports member, which remains a hurdle to the school’s loyalty of being a founding member of the Atlantic-10 conference.

From Matt Brown, who talked to Ryan Bamford a long time on Dec 2, 2023 before his article. https://www.extrapointsmb.com/p/im-hear ... -umass-caa

Let’s talk about UMass
It makes perfect sense for fan speculation to immediately turn to UMass. The Minutemen are a bus ride away from Delaware, share meaningful FCS football history, and are similar institutions (academically selective, state flagships, etc). The UMass athletic administration has also been clear that the school does not want to be an FBS independent long-term, and views securing a conference invite to be critically important.

Multiple industry sources have told me that during their conversations with Conference USA, Delaware indicated that they would be very happy about UMass potentially joining the conference, although Delaware’s invite and interest in CUSA were in no way dependent on anything happening one way or another in Amherst. I’m also told that UMass would be receptive to continued conversations with CUSA.

But is anything imminent? Is anything going to be announced this calendar year?

I’m told….no. And here’s why.

Real quick, even though I’m turning on the paywall below, let me just offer this for any UMass fan readers. Do not panic. Enjoy your holiday season. I am not trying to play with your emotions. Again, do not panic. What is below this paywall fold is not bad news. It is just regular ol’ news.

Don't blame Ryan Bamford, it is UMass Pres and Governor holding things up! Keep the heat on these two!!!!
The bottom line is that its up to the politicians. UMass Pres from the congressional district and former chancellor to UMass Lowell and the Governor, Maura Healey. As Stephen R. Karam, Chairman serves at the pleasure of the Governor. Bot Member Page. https://www.umassp.edu/bot/members

Seventeen members of the board are appointed by the Governor

https://www.umassp.edu/bot

[Steve81]

This ESPN article has some links in the article (not this post) on what to expect for 2024

Here's an explanation of all of the big things fans can expect to see changing this fall.

Jump to a topic:
Conference realignment
12-team CFP
CFP schedule
Other bowls
Conference title games
Life without Saban
Who governs the sport?

https://www.espn.com/college-football/s ... nt-playoff

[ZooMass84]

This ESPN article has some links in the article (not this post) on what to expect for 2024

Here's an explanation of all of the big things fans can expect to see changing this fall.

Jump to a topic:
Conference realignment
12-team CFP
CFP schedule
Other bowls
Conference title games
Life without Saban
Who governs the sport?

https://www.espn.com/college-football/s ... nt-playoff

Doing awesome you UMass football nut you!!!! I hope things work out for UMass football but we don't even have 12 games this fall another FCS buy game??? Bam has to get us into a conference or I don't think we can even put together schedules. We only have 10 scheduled in 2025 and 8 in 2026.

[ZooMass84]

The problem with being the only indy or with UCant is that scheduling becomes near impossible in November and multiple bye weeks. 2025 we have 3 bye weeks.

[ZooMass84]

Actually we have at least TWO bye weeks next year: between Buffalo & Troy, Bowling Green & Missouri. We need 2 more games in 2025.

[Steve81]

New CFP money coming into focus. Still a lot to work out and of course the G5 will receive a small piece. Even that is a lot of green.
College Football Playoff, ESPN agree to 6-year extension worth $1.3 billion per year: Sources

By Andrew Marchand, Nicole Auerbach, Stewart Mandel and Chris Vannini

ESPN and the College Football Playoff are in agreement on a six-year, $7.8 billion extension that will make the network the home of the 12-team tournament through the 2031-32 season, sources briefed on the deal told The Athletic.

The full contract’s completion is still contingent on CFP leaders finalizing details of the expanded format in the wake of the implosion of the Pac-12. The CFP’s management committee and board of managers have meetings scheduled for next week and continue to work through the complicated process of settling their outstanding issues. The ESPN deal will not be ratified until the commissioners and presidents vote on the structure and financials of the expanded CFP. ESPN senior vice president of communication Josh Krulewitz and College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock both declined to comment.

ESPN has two years remaining on its current deal, which carries an average payment of $608 million per year and includes the CFP semifinals and championship, plus the other four New Year’s Six bowl games. The six-year extension will cost $1.3 billion per year, the price at which an ESPN news story previously reported the network was discussing a new deal with the CFP.

Above is the first 3 of a dozen paragraphs as maybe behind of a paywall to The Athletic.

https://theathletic.com/5272749/2024/02 ... ghts-deal/