College football bowl executives have circulated a letter to hundreds of presidents, chancellors, athletic directors and football head coaches, requesting further inclusion in whatever form the new College Football Playoff (CFP) might take, according to ESPN, who obtained a copy of the letter.
The CFP management committee is planning to meet next week in Dallas to discuss possible expansion of the current four-team model.
The letter pushes for all games to be played at bowl sites.
“We believe any plan for an expanded playoff should include all playoff games being played within the traditional Bowl structure, not the home site of one of the participating teams,” the letter read. “The Bowls would provide a neutral, competitively fair setting for these games as they have throughout their history.
“To exclude Bowl games from any round of an expanded playoff would be harmful to Bowl Season, individual Bowls and their host communities, and post-season college football in general.”
No consensus on playoff format was reached after the commissioners of the 10 Football Bowl Subdivision conferences joined with Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick to discuss format options in late September.
It was reported over the summer that a 12-team model — which would include first-round games on college campuses — had the highest favorability among power brokers in the sport, though the SEC’s subsequent move to add Texas and Oklahoma from the Big 12 caused a pause from other leagues to re-examine all options.
The current format, with ESPN holding the media rights, is part of a 12-year deal that runs through the 2025-26 season.
CFP executive director Bill Hancock stressed that the group would not rush into any decisions.
“We have time,” Hancock said. “Because if the event is going to change before the end of the term, the end of the 12 years, we have three or four months. If it’s going to change in Year 13, then we have a couple of years.”
–Field Level Media