Report: ACC & Big 12 Vote to Adopt Unequal CFP Revenue Model

For those who are worried about a potential Big Two emerging from the ashes of the Power Four (sorry Pac-12), the ACC and Big 12 have already fallen behind — and voted to do so.

According to a report by Ross Dellenger of Yahoo!, the ACC and Big 12 presidents voted to authorize their commissioners to adopt the framework for the new College Football Playoff model — including a new playoff format and revenue sharing. It’s all in conjunction with the new $1.3 billion ESPN deal.

“In a proposal socialized with administrators over the last 10 days, the Big Ten and SEC would combine to earn about 58% of the CFP’s base distribution,” Dellenger reported. “The figure would greatly exceed the ACC and Big 12’s combined distribution number, which is expected to be around 32%. The remaining amount (roughly 10%) will be distributed to Notre Dame and the 64 Group of Five teams.”

ACC & Big 12 presidents voted Wednesday to authorize their commissioners to adopt the new CFP framework, sources tell @YahooSports. 

Big step in CFP commissioners finalizing a deal on new rev model/playoff format concepts in meetings the next few days.https://t.co/CCsZHmfwRY

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) March 13, 2024

The CFP is expanding in 2024, jumping from four teams to 12, but the model will only be a stop-gap before more sweeping changes arrive in 2026. The CFP Management Committee, which includes the 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame’s AD, is expected to finalize the framework for the new CFP model in the near future.

Dellenger further reported that all 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame are — pending presidential approval — expected to commit to the new revenue-sharing model, the currently unspecified changes to the playoff format and a new governance structure.

The playoff format, which will include automatic bids and a division of berths across Power Four and Group of Six programs (and there was even discussion about automatic byes for SEC and Big Ten), is going to be some variation of auto-bids, CFP seeding, etc. It’s the money that stands out.

While no single school’s revenue will decrease with the expanded playoff expected to generate significantly more money, the gulf between conferences could be as significant as $300 million.

“The difference in distribution between the two sets of conferences — SEC/Big Ten and ACC/Big 12 — could exceed $300 million,” Dellenger reported. “The Power Two stand to earn a combined figure that should eclipse $700 million, far more than the ACC and Big 12’s number of around $400 million. Roughly $115 million is slotted for the Group of Five.

The CFP format isn’t finalized yet, but it’s looking like it’s only a matter of time before it is.

This story initially appeared on our partner site Pittsburgh Sports Now.