The SEC, Big Ten continue to flex financial dominance over the rest with new College Football Playoff contract

“That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? That’s what it’s always been about. Gifts! Gifts. Gifts, gifts, gifts, gifts, GIFTS!”

The scene is from the movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas, but you could cut the word “gifts” and insert the word “money” and it would perfectly explain college football’s ongoing series How the SEC and Big Ten plundered the College Football Playoff. 

After months of debates and discussions, the CFP leaders — the 10 FBS conferences and Notre Dame – approved a new revenue distribution model for the playoff Friday. 

The rich didn’t just get richer. They pretty much took the lot. 

Since the introduction of the CFP in 2014, the Power 5 conferences had split around 80% of the revenue. 

Not anymore. 

The Power 2 conferences will receive nearly double ($21-22 million per school, according to ESPN) compared to the ACC ($13-14 million), Notre Dame ($12 million) and Big 12 ($12 million), beginning in 2026. 

Every conference is getting a nice raise here, but the SEC and Big Ten — which have the best teams, the biggest brands and the most resources already — made sure the ACC and Big 12 took a big haircut, comparatively.  

They could’ve taken their ball and done their own thing, but they didn’t. 

The money is what the Power 2 conferences have long been after, and reports about wanting more automatic berths or receiving byes in the 14-team model were likely nothing more than red herrings or negotiating tactics.

At least that’s what it sure seems like. 

The SEC and Big Ten — with commissioners Greg Sankey and Tony Petitti leading the way — can further flex their financial dominance over the rest of the sport. They already have the best media rights deals, and now they just locked down another gargantuan contract that will consolidate even more control. 

Considering the SEC has produced 40% of the teams in the playoffs, I’m surprised Sankey didn’t ask for more. 

What’s also notable about the proposed contract are the lack of details around everything else except for the money. 

That’s what it’s always been about, remember. 

Will the playoff expand to 14 teams in 2026? Probably, but we don’t know yet. 

During the Men’s SEC Tournament in Nashville on Thursday, Sankey went on the SEC Network and suggested the debate between 12 and 14-team models is ongoing. He referred to the two models as “bookends to the conversation.”

And with no set model , it remains unclear the number of automatic berths (more for the SEC and Big Ten or just five auto-bids + nine at-large spots) in the future, too. Conference champions — from the four Power Conference leagues and the top-ranked Group of Five — are protected, but that’s all we know for now. 

The proposed deal also includes a “look-in clause” for 2028, that allows the leadership to “reevaluate the contractual agreements based on how every league has performed to that point,” per ESPN. Purportedly this was at the behest of the leaders outside the Big Ten and SEC, but Sankey and Petitti won here, too, as more conference realignment (hello, FSU or Clemson to their leagues) would provide them even more leverage. 

In the end, the SEC and Big Ten got their money. The other details can be ironed out later. Sankey and Petitti keep on winning, and with every new debate set to come, they’ll continue to dictate the future of the sport.