The College Football Playoff is blowing up to 24 teams next year, but don’t get too excited about new voices calling the biggest games, because ESPN just locked down the entire package, again, with a “handshake agreement” that shut everyone else out. That’s right, the reported deal means ESPN, the exclusive rights holder since the playoff started 12 years ago, still owns all the goods. Again.
ESPN’s Iron Grip on the Gridiron
I saw the term “handshake agreement” all weekend, and honestly, it’s frustrating. ESPN signed a six-year, $7.8 billion exclusive extension back in 2024, and then they got an exclusive 30-day window to negotiate over expansion. That window expired, but somehow, they still managed a “handshake agreement” in the days that followed. What that means is FOX Sports, CBS Sports, TNT Sports/Skydance, NBC Sports, and basically everyone else never even got a shot to compete for the expanded package. How is that good for the sport? It’s not. Sure, watching College GameDay is part of the fall Saturday routine, and ESPN has dominated college football coverage for generations. But come on, if the sport is expanding on the field, why can’t it expand how those games are broadcast?
Fans are already debating if a 24-team playoff will totally diminish those weekly must-win stakes, or if it means some major conference championship games just disappear. Paul Finebaum put it straight: “Right now, ESPN controls the College Football Playoff at 12. If it starts getting larger, they lose the exclusivity.” That tweet hit different, didn’t it? But here we are, with ESPN still controlling the entire package, even as the playoff gets larger.
The Voices We Won’t Hear
Imagine if the NFL, MLB, NBA, or NHL handled their biggest events like this. Can you picture Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady being completely shut out of the NFL’s biggest games? Or Kenny Albert and Eddie Olczyk never getting to call the Stanley Cup Final? That’s exactly the kind of opportunity the College Football Playoff is probably taking away with this move. No Gus Johnson or Joel Klatt calling the sport’s biggest games. No Brad Nessler and Charles Davis entertaining us when it matters most. Is that good for college Football? No, it’s not. It’s a massive missed opportunity for fans to hear diverse voices and incredible broadcast teams.
Now, there are still some specifics to work out. ESPN and TNT Sports actually have a sublicensing agreement for select College Football Playoff games, an arrangement that kicked off in 2024 and runs through 2028. With Skydance now owning both CBS Sports and TNT Sports, could those games move to CBS Sports next year? Possibly. That could create a chance for Nessler and Davis to call a playoff game in the near future. Who knows, right? But the question of inclusion is still the puzzling part of this whole deal. This expansion is going to affect conference championships and totally change their significance.
So, what are we looking at? A bigger playoff, sure. But we’re also watching the sport change right before our eyes, from how the biggest games are broadcast to what the regular season even means anymore. You gotta love the passion, no matter who’s calling it, like when the Oregon State Beavers took down the Washington State Cougars 48-30. We want to see that energy, that excitement, and that competition on every channel, not just one.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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