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Afternoon Edition

December 4, 2024

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Tuesday night’s CFP rankings reveal showcased the dominance of the Big Ten and SEC, and sparked debate about the placement of Alabama. But big tests remain this weekend, and they could transform what the Playoff looks like. We break down scenarios and the effect they could have.

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

Conference Title Games to Shape CFP Picture: High Stakes, Wild Scenarios [[link removed]]

Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

While it’s clear Big Ten and SEC teams are going to fill the majority of slots in the first 12-team College Football Playoff [[link removed]], confusion persists about how the rest of the expanded postseason bracket will be completed.

As a refresher, the final CFP field, which will be announced Sunday, will include:

The five highest ranked conference champions: First-round byes go to the four highest ranked league winners. The next seven highest ranked teams: Seeds 5–8 will host first-round games against Nos. 9–12.

With four teams each from the Big Ten and SEC in the top 11, it’s looking like conference title games in the ACC (No. 17 Clemson–No. 8 SMU), Big 12 (No. 16 Iowa State–No. 15 Arizona State), and Mountain West (No. 20 UNLV–No. 10 Boise State) could be de facto Playoff games themselves, with the winners earning automatic CFP bids, and the losers potentially missing out entirely. All three games should be close ones, as sportsbooks have handicapped them all under one score.

SMU is the highest ranked of those six teams at No. 8, but CFP committee chairman Warde Manuel said Tuesday night that the Mustangs could fall below No. 11 Alabama in the rankings with a loss against Clemson. “Potentially, yes,” he said. “And they can move above teams, as well. Again, it just depends on the outcome of the game.”

That unique format of the 12-team CFP [[link removed]] is creating wild scenarios, like Boise State being in a position to potentially earn the No. 3 seed with a win and SMU loss, or miss out on the CFP altogether if it loses to UNLV.

Amid the rankings debates, college athletic directors and coaches have taken to social media to plead their cases [[link removed]]—and argue about where their programs should fall.

WNBA May Have Leaked Name of Toronto’s 2026 Expansion Team [[link removed]]

John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The WNBA may have accidentally leaked the team name of the expansion franchise based in Toronto that is set to debut in 2026.

On Tuesday night, X users began sharing screenshots of a drop-down list of team names found on WNBA.com. The list showed 14 WNBA teams—one more than the number of teams playing next season—and included the “Toronto Tempo.”

Winsidr senior writer Myles Ehrlich confirmed to Front Office Sports he saw the list himself and shared his screenshot on X [[link removed]] at 10:08 p.m. ET.

It’s unclear when the official announcement of Toronto’s team name will be—or whether the Tempo is the final moniker of the franchise. X [[link removed]], Instagram [[link removed]], and TikTok [[link removed]] accounts for the Toronto franchise go by the handle @WNBA_Toronto.

The WNBA did not respond to a request for comment.

The timing is premature, at least compared to the Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA’s latest expansion team set to debut in 2025. The Valkyries announced their team name on May 14 [[link removed]], the opening day of the 2024 WNBA season.

The Toronto expansion franchise was first announced in May, a week after the Valkyries launched their team name. It will be the league’s first team outside the U.S. The franchise is owned by Kilmer Sports Ventures CEO Larry Tanenbaum, who is also the chairman of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which owns the NBA’s Raptors, NHL’s Maple Leafs, and MLS’s Toronto FC.

Tanenbaum reportedly paid $115 million for the team [[link removed]], split between the expansion fee and a new practice facility.

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ESPN Gets Prime Real Estate on Disney+. What’s Included? [[link removed]]

ESPN

While much of the media industry continues to splinter and shrink, ESPN is getting a major boost in the streaming realm.

Beginning Wednesday, content from the sports media giant will have its own featured tile on sister corporate entity Disney+. Long planned by the company [[link removed]], ESPN+ programming will be featured alongside other core Disney general entertainment properties including Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars.

The move also puts ESPN content in front of tens of millions of additional subscribers on one of the world’s largest streaming services. While not at the scale of Netflix [[link removed]], Disney+ held 122.7 million global subscribers as of Sept. 28— the end of Disney’s fiscal fourth quarter [[link removed]]—nearly five times the 25.6 million for ESPN+. That larger group within Disney+ also likely includes many non-avid sports fans, and in turn a growth opportunity for ESPN and Disney.

“This launch is really going to reshape what Disney+ is, who it’s for, and what we have to offer. But it also marks the next step in streaming for the future of ESPN,” said Disney+ president Alisa Bowen.

Always Be Closing

There’s also a clear upsell motive in the ESPN tile strategy, as subscribers to the Disney streaming bundle of Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu will have a deep breadth of ESPN+ content available from Disney+. Subscribers to Disney+ alone, however, will only receive a small portion of ESPN+ material, and the rest will redirect toward pages for package upgrades.

Those limited offerings for non-bundle subscribers, however, lean in part toward sports-related animated programming such as the Dec. 9 Monday Night Football integration with The Simpsons [[link removed]] and the Mickey Mouse–themed “Dunk the Halls” effort [[link removed]] for an NBA game on Christmas Day.

“Part of the design is to try to stimulate engagement and interest in sports to a casual fan that might not otherwise come to ESPN in their normal media behaviors,” said John Lasker, ESPN+ SVP. “So it’s not creating an alternative to ESPN or ESPN+, but more of an extended reach opportunity.”

Disney+ implemented a similar tile for Hulu back in March.

Flagship Learnings

The ESPN tile on Disney+, meanwhile, precedes by roughly eight months the anticipated debut of the direct-to-consumer version of ESPN, widely termed as Flagship. There’s been no shortage of hype surrounding that project, with Disney CEO Bob Iger recently saying it will be “the best product the consumer has ever seen in sports,” and ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro describing it as a distillation of all the network’s various offerings and capabilities [[link removed]].

The heightened integration with Disney+ will likely aid in that development effort by supplying additional data about user consumption patterns, particularly those who are not ardent sports fans.

“We’re very excited to figure out what the increased audience opportunity is here, which we believe is pretty great,” Lasker said. “This will teach us a lot.”

EVENT

Front Office Sports and Excel Sports Management are partnering to gather the biggest names in sports, entertainment, and media for an unforgettable day out on the golf course ahead of the Big Game.

Learn more [[link removed]] about partnership opportunities or how to get involved with The Breakfast Ball—an ultra-high-end Celebrity Pro-Am golf tournament that will be a can’t-miss event for companies and brands looking to entertain in the lead-up to the game.

STATUS REPORT Three Down, One Push

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Stephen A. Smith ⬆⬇ The First Take analyst is reportedly progressing on a contract extension with ESPN worth more than $100 million, but a source told Front Office Sports that there are “still issues to be resolved” before the two sides will agree to a deal. Read more [[link removed]] from FOS senior writer Michael McCarthy about Smith’s potential new contract.

Dutch Grand Prix ⬇ The home race of Max Verstappen, winner of the last four drivers’ championships, will be removed from the Formula One calendar starting in 2026, the league announced Wednesday. The race was held at the Circuit Zandvoort. The Netherlands-based race could be replaced on the F1 calendar—which had a record 24 races this season—by one in another European country or in Africa.

Foot Locker ⬇ The sports apparel retailer cut its full-year guidance after reporting a loss of $33 million for the last three months ending Nov. 2 compared to $28 million during the same period last year. The loss may be a sign of Nike’s slow performance this year [[link removed]], as the brand accounts for 60% of Foot Locker’s sales [[link removed]], according to CNBC.

Planet Fitness ⬇ The gym giant lost a bid to take over Blink Fitness. PureGym, a U.K.-based health club chain with more than 600 gyms that has a small presence in the U.S. under the brand Pure Fitness, secured a deal to acquire Blink Fitness [[link removed]] for $121 million, thwarting a last-minute bid by Planet Fitness [[link removed]].

SPONSORED BY WENDY’S

Have No Fear: The Mushrooms Are Here

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A new level of flavor has arrived [[link removed]].

It’s delicious mushrooms, mouthwatering bacon, melted Muenster cheese, and creamy garlic spread. Loaded together on top of that iconic Wendy’s [[link removed]] fresh, never-frozen beef.

Try [[link removed]] the new Mushroom Bacon Cheeseburger with a Dr Pepper today.

Conversation Starters Netflix dropped the trailer for the upcoming docuseries Aaron Rodgers: Enigma, which chronicles the return of the Jets quarterback from an Achilles injury. Check it out [[link removed]]. Front Office Sports multimedia reporter Derryl Barnes dived into the backstory of Jets offensive lineman Connor McGovern, who is the heir to a $100 million potato empire. Watch FOS Explains here [[link removed]]. Peacock launched a multiview feature for Premier League matches for the first time Wednesday. Take a look [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks Amazon’s NFL Black Friday Game Ratings Up 41% From 2023 [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]Amazon Prime Video’s Raiders-Chiefs broadcast averaged 13.51 million viewers. CEO Leaves $13 Billion Company to Run Commanders [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]The new president will lead the planning and development of the team’s stadium. Manfred’s Golden At-Bat Idea Is His Most Radical Rule Change Idea Yet [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]The idea is an attempt to create more signature moments in games. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Written by David Rumsey [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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