Exclusive: Clark Lea says college football will have to sacrifice tradition in exchange for CFP expansion

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Go up and get utilized to it now: the statement implicit expanding the College Football Playoff to 24 teams isn’t going anyplace anytime soon. Sitting wrong Vanderbilt caput manager Clark Lea's bureau connected Wednesday, it wasn’t hard to announcement the ongoing chatter that has present erstwhile again reared its head.

Ever since CFP leaders wrapped meetings successful Miami — earlier Indiana capped an historical play with a nationalist title — the conflict betwixt the SEC and the remainder of assemblage shot has lone intensified, with the astir caller gathering taking spot conscionable extracurricular of Dallas.

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At the halfway of it each is 1 question: however large should the playoff tract really be?

For months, the SEC has stood steadfast down a 16-team format, a exemplary its tv spouse ESPN supports. Meanwhile, the Big Ten has pushed for 24 teams — an thought that initially drew absorption from the ACC and Big 12 earlier opinions started to shift.

That’s thing new. Conference commissioners changing positions is practically portion of the job. But this time, the stakes are higher. With revenue-sharing challenges mounting crossed assemblage athletics — and immoderate schools already cutting sports — expanding the playoff has go a imaginable fiscal lifeline.

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Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner Jim Phillips speaks during an NCAA assemblage shot quality league astatine the ACC media days successful Charlotte, N.C., connected July 20, 2022. (Nell Redmond/AP)

More teams mean much games. More games mean much tv inventory. And much inventory means much money, maybe.

As the caller College Football Playoff declaration with ESPN starts, which is simply a six-year deal, determination is simply a fig of teams that could fundamentally trigger further bidding. According to manufacture sources, if the CFP were to hold connected a 14-team postseason, ESPN would inactive clasp onto its inventory of games, which they could proceed sub-licensing retired to networks similar TNT oregon TBS.

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But, if CFP leaders were to someway hold to the 24-team format, oregon adjacent 16-teams, this would let networks similar FOX, NBC oregon CBS to articulation the enactment if they were consenting to pay. This stems from the declaration signed by ESPN and the CFP, which would let the playoff to enactment the other games that would travel from a 24-team postseason connected the market.

And portion that mightiness beryllium the case, from an economical standpoint, the smarter determination would beryllium for ESPN to conscionable acquisition the rights to the added games of a 16-team playoff fixed it mightiness not beryllium worthy the terms for FOX oregon NBC to acquisition the further 2 matchups.

Though it’s not hard to spot wherefore aggregate conferences would beryllium connected board.

It's not that easy. Conference rubric games replaced by play-in matchups?

As Vanderbilt caput manager Clark Lea pointed retired this week successful Nashville, enlargement isn’t arsenic elemental arsenic adding much teams.

"The archetypal happening that we request to absorption connected is erstwhile we extremity the season," Clark Lea told OutKick. "I deliberation we person a existent contented close now, and I deliberation the contented is tied to TV contracts and and dedicated clip slots wherever we're not competing with the NFL, and worldly similar that which extends our play 3 weeks into January that perfectly undermines the integrity of what we're trying to bash arsenic a sport.

"Whatever we bash adjacent with the playoff, enlargement is coming. We (SEC) each expected it for this twelvemonth and it deed a hiccup. But, arsenic enlargement comes, it cannot travel astatine the disbursal paying attraction to the seasons end, and let's beryllium much tenable astatine tying that."

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Kentucky caput manager Mark Stoops and Vanderbilt caput manager Clark Lea conscionable connected the tract aft an NCAA assemblage shot crippled successful Nashville, Tenn., connected Nov. 22, 2025. (George Walker IV/AP)

As OutKick reported implicit the past year, expanding the playoff successful this magnitude could besides travel with the caveat that league rubric games would cease to exist. While this mightiness dependable similar an casual hole to some, it's a overmuch bigger conception to really propulsion off, fixed the magnitude of wealth ESPN and FOX wage for these rubric games, with some games receiving a reported $160 cardinal for their rubric games combined.

"We're going to person to fto spell of immoderate accepted extremity of the twelvemonth elements successful assemblage football," Clark Lea mentioned, portion besides noting that helium 'thinks' that would beryllium a league championship.

So what replaces them?

"Somehow the playoff exemplary is incorporated, right?" Lea offered up. "Otherwise, this (season) extends forever. I deliberation we saw past twelvemonth these ridiculous breaks successful play, which I deliberation ruins the competive merchandise connected the field. I would beryllium truly funny to perceive answers and to get radical reasoning towards those things.

"How bash we amended the product, tighten the season? Finishing person to the semester ending, the portal window. Now each of the abrupt we person a amended product."

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Coaches go fans successful these conversations astir expansion

The thought of repackaging an SEC, Big Ten, ACC oregon Big 12 title play into play-in benignant games for each league is an thought that tv networks similar ESPN and FOX person been astatine slightest discussing.

Given that they would beryllium giving up a money-making crippled successful presumption of advertizing and ratings, the substitute would person to beryllium enticing capable to contemplate.

But, if you were to inquire the fans if they would alternatively ticker 4 teams battling successful Atlanta, Indianapolis, Charlotte oregon Dallas implicit a two-day play for a spot successful the assemblage shot playoff, I'd ideate that would beryllium an casual merchantability to networks and advertisers alike.

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Even then, deciding connected a way to instrumentality is not casual task.

"Those decisions request to beryllium made based connected driving arsenic overmuch imaginable gross and getting the champion imaginable dialog retired of each crippled we have. So, to accidental 24 oregon 16 is truly conscionable to accidental arsenic galore teams arsenic we can, portion besides not giving distant the quality to negociate what those games tin bring to us.

Head Coach Clark Lea of the Vanderbilt Commodores acknowledgment fans aft beating the Missouri Tigers astatine FirstBank Stadium successful Nashville, Tenn., connected Oct. 25, 2025. (Carly Mackler/Getty Images)

At the extremity of the day, folks conscionable privation to spot the athletics of assemblage shot enactment successful the champion imaginable spot moving forward, which includes the coaches who are competing for spots, similar Clark Lea.

"What we bash erstwhile we commencement to enactment successful these conversations is we go fans. I cognize it's mode much analyzable than conscionable adding arsenic galore teams arsenic possible. This has got to beryllium done successful the champion mode to optimize our product, and to thrust the gross we request to prolong our sport."

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While SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey is fundamentally lasting connected an land by himself successful presumption of pushing a 16-team format implicit a leap to 24, we're starting to perceive his coaches wrong the league commencement to dependable their differing opinions connected what the aboriginal should really look like.

While that mightiness beryllium the case, the coaches lone person truthful overmuch value successful these conversations, arsenic I discussed connected Wednesday.

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Either way, outpouring meetings successful assemblage shot became overmuch much important implicit the past 2 years, with the Big Ten acceptable to conscionable adjacent week successful Los Angeles, portion the SEC prepares to conscionable aft Memorial Day successful Florida.

Let the games continue.