November 5, 2024

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Good morning. After years of deliberation and debates, the College Football Playoff has expanded from four teams to 12. Tonight, the first official rankings will be revealed. What does this change mean for parity? Whom does it benefit? How will schools and conferences be paid out? We go through everything you need to know.

— David Rumsey [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]], and Colin Salao [[link removed]]

New Era, New Chaos? New CFP Team Rankings Explained [[link removed]]

Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch

The College Football Playoff will reveal its first team rankings of the expanded 12-team era Tuesday night, and chaos may not be far behind.

Many fans could be confused—at least initially—by the intricate new system, which includes crucial new revenue opportunities for schools that reach the postseason bracket.

The New Format

Just like in previous years, the CFP selection committee will reveal its top 25 teams each Tuesday throughout the remainder of the season, culminating with the first 12-team Playoff bracket to be revealed on Dec. 8. But things won’t be as simple as just looking at the top 12 teams and moving on.

At the end of the season, the 12 participating CFP teams will be the five conference champions (in all likelihood the Power 4 champions and one Group of 5 champion) ranked highest, plus the next seven highest-ranked teams. The four highest-ranked conference champions will get first-round byes, even if one or multiple non-conference champions are ranked above them. That means multiple teams inside the top 12 could be left out of the CFP. There will be no re-seeding after the first round (the No. 1 seed will play the winner of the No. 8 vs. No. 9 matchup, etc.).

A Hidden Advantage?

Teams seeded fifth through eighth will host first-round Playoff games on campus in December. But the CFP will collect all revenue from ticket sales [[link removed]] and redistribute it to the conferences, according to The Athletic. However, schools will get to keep the money made from other game-day revenue sources like concessions and parking.

Bowl Season executive director Nick Carparelli previously told Front Office Sports that he would like to see all CFP matchups played at neutral-site bowl games [[link removed]], which will be the case from the quarterfinals on. The quarterfinals will be played in the Fiesta, Peach, Rose, and Sugar bowls.

Dollars and Cents

While debates will no doubt ensue about the best 12 teams on the field, there will be major financial implications off the field:

Conferences will receive $4 million for each school that makes the CFP and for each school that qualifies for the quarterfinal. That’s an $8 million guarantee for the conferences with schools receiving first-round byes. Conferences will receive another $6 million for each school that reaches the semifinals and each school that plays in the national championship game.

In total, that’s $116 million distributed to conferences with teams in the CFP. Teams also get $3 million to cover expenses for each round.

Gerrit Cole Reverses Opt Out, Stays With Yankees. What’s Next? [[link removed]]

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Ace Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole is staying in pinstripes, but even bigger decisions await the high-profile and large-revenue MLB club.

Cole, the 2023 American League Cy Young Award winner, and the Yankees agreed Monday to honor the terms of a nine-year contract that still had four seasons and $144 million left on it, according to industry sources and multiple reports. The 34-year-old Cole opted out of those remaining years on Saturday, as he had the right to do, and the Yankees could have nullified that move by adding another year at the same $36 million to his deal.

Instead, there may be future discussions about a potential revised contract that would guarantee Cole will finish his career in New York, though there are no active talks about an extension. As of now, the Yankees are set to spend at least $324 million in total on Cole, and perhaps more, after first signing him in late 2019. The latest decision, though, is as if Cole never opted out in the first place.

Cole performed well during the Yankees’ most recent run to the World Series, posting a 2.17 earned run average in five playoff starts. But his failure to cover first base on an infield hit during the fifth inning of Game 5 of the World Series opened the door for the Dodgers to seal their championship [[link removed]].

What’s Next?

The Yankees now have more than $186 million in player payroll committed for the 2025 season [[link removed]] and are pushing closer to the $241 million threshold for MLB’s competitive balance tax, commonly known as the luxury tax.

That figure, however, could soar if the club retains free-agent outfielder Juan Soto, who is now poised to reap a contract worth more than $600 million [[link removed]], which would be the second-largest deal in U.S. pro sports history, and likely the largest by present-day value.

At 5 p.m. ET Monday, all MLB free agents, including Soto, became eligible to sign with a new team, and the 26-year-old superstar has already heard expressions of interest from about a dozen clubs. A much smaller number, however, actually has the financial ability to take on a deal that large. The Yankees are one of those teams.

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Super Bowl Ads Sell Out Three Months Early, at Record Price [[link removed]]

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In one of the latest examples of media networks battling for bragging rights, Fox Corp. said it has sold out of its advertising inventory for Super Bowl LIX in February at “record pricing.”

As part of its fiscal first-quarter earnings report [[link removed]] Monday, the Fox Sports parent said its ad units are gone, more than three months before the game.

“We still have a pretty robust football calendar yet to come, culminating with our broadcast of Super Bowl LIX, where we are already sold out and at record pricing,” said Fox CEO and executive chair Lachlan Murdoch.

Fox’s claim of record pricing could be largely a matter of semantics.

Specific figures have not been released, but sales activity around the game has surpassed a $7 million rate per 30 seconds. That pricing is largely in line with recent years across multiple networks [[link removed]]—even as the NFL has assumed a dominant role in U.S. television [[link removed]], and Super Bowl LVIII this past February set an American broadcast record [[link removed]] with an average audience of 123.4 million. When the final numbers come out, the price could just be pennies higher than last year—or it could be significantly higher. Either way, Fox gets to claim a record.

In 2023, when Fox last aired the Super Bowl, the network said it generated nearly $600 million in advertising revenue related to the game. CBS Sports parent company Paramount, which aired Super Bowl LVIII, then surpassed that mark, though by exactly how much is not known.

The broader flattening of the Super Bowl ad market, even with the NFL’s unrivaled popularity, owes to several factors, including the effects of social media, additional buying requirements that most Super Bowl broadcasters impose on brands, and still-rising production costs.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY NFL Teams Face Crossroads at Season’s Halfway Point

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The NFL is at its pivotal halfway point and teams have to make crucial decisions about their season’s trajectory. Ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline, the Saints fired head coach Dennis Allen after their seventh consecutive loss. Front Office Sports newsletter writer David Rumsey joins the show with insights on the NFL’s coaching carousel and the looming trade deadline.

Plus, regional sports network deals are going to play a major role in MLB’s offseason. Evan Drellich of The Athletic joins to discuss the fallout of baseball’s changing media landscape.

Also, the Yankees hold on to Gerrit Cole and an NBA team had to take the New York City subway to its game.

Watch, listen, and subscribe on Apple [[link removed]], Spotify [[link removed]], and YouTube [[link removed]].

TRIVIA

Test your skills in our new daily sports trivia game [[link removed]]! We’re giving our newsletter subscribers a hint for today’s question: Kevin Durant is one of the answers in the top five.

LOUD AND CLEAR Trophy Hunting

Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

“I’m looking forward to winning the championship this weekend.”

—Michael Jordan, on 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick, who is among the final four heading into Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship race in Phoenix. Jordan was speaking to reporters Monday [[link removed]] after a preliminary injunction hearing in his team’s antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR [[link removed]]. The Basketball Hall of Famer said he has “put all my cards on the table” regarding the legal case, but he is confident the off-track matter won’t be a distraction for the race team.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS AWARDS

Employee Survey Closes Tomorrow

Whether it’s great leadership; focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion; or commitment to employee well-being, the Front Office Sports Best Employers in Sports Award [[link removed]] recognizes organizations that do right by their employees.

How do we determine who wins the award? We don’t—employees do! The award is based entirely on anonymous survey results from sports industry professionals.

Responses will be evaluated in collaboration with our primary research partner, Canvs [[link removed]], using patented AI technology free from all subjectivity and human bias. There is no word count limit and you can even use slang, text abbreviations, sarcasm, and emoji to complete the survey.

The employee survey closes tomorrow! Don’t miss your chance to recognize your company as one of the best in the business.

Complete the survey [[link removed]] by Nov. 6 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Conversation Starters Brooks Running CEO Dan Sheridan went on a run around Central Park with FOS editor-in-chief Daniel Roberts to talk about the boom in running. Watch it here [[link removed]]. Alvin Kamara announced he accepted an offer for “a lifetime supply of beer” from Abita Brewing Company in Louisiana. Check it out [[link removed]]. Pure Pickleball & Padel, the world’s largest indoor pickleball facility, is opening in Scottsdale, Ariz., in 2026. It will include more than 50 indoor and outdoor courts as well as an entertainment facility. Take a look [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks Sports Betting Companies Holding Comic at Arm’s Length After Trump Rally [[link removed]]by A.J. Perez [[link removed]]Hinchcliffe drew criticism over his comments at a rally for Trump. Women’s College Basketball Begins Its Star-Studded Post–Caitlin Clark Era [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]Women outdrew the men in the championship with 18.9 million viewers. Tom Brady Won’t Be Punished for Criticizing Packers-Lions Ejection [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]The “Brady Rules” faced their biggest test so far after Sunday’s broadcast. Question of the Day

Will the Yankees extend Gerrit Cole’s contract beyond the four years currently remaining?

Yes [[link removed]] No [[link removed]]

Monday’s result: 43% of respondents think Juan Soto will re-sign with the Yankees.

Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Written by David Rumsey [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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