ROSEMONT, Ill. -- Leaders of the College Football Playoff continued to discuss a 24-team model on Wednesday but didn't vote on any calendar or scheduling changes for the 2027 season as negotiations with ESPN continue, CFP executive director Rich Clark said.
"I think we've worked through a lot of the other issues that are associated with expansion, and those things needed to happen before we started any kind of a negotiation," Clark said in the lobby of Big Ten headquarters, where the regularly scheduled meeting was held. "[Money] is not the only consideration, but right now it is an unknown because we have no idea what the revenue that could be generated is."
The CFP is in the midst of a 30-day negotiation window with ESPN, the sole rights holder of the event. Clark said Oct. 9 is the last day of the negotiation period with ESPN before the event goes to the open market, and the CFP has until Dec. 1 to decide if the format will change in time for the 2027 season.
"I certainly would say we reserve the right to use the whole window," Clark said. "It is detailed and in-depth, and there's a lot of issues to cover. It's a 30-day window for a reason, and we may need to use it all."
Clark said the CFP's management committee is still working on what the dates would look like for a 24-team field next season and that the future of conference championship games remains a conference-level decision. A 24-team field would likely eliminate the Power 4 title games, which are valued around $200 million, according to sources. The Group of 6 conferences don't have to eliminate theirs, and some have privately expressed a strong desire to keep them.
Clark said there ideally would be an off-week following the end of the regular season before the playoff began for the health and safety of the players. He also said the second-round games would "most likely" be at campus sites, but "that's still a part of the discussion."
The SEC has also asked for a more unified scheduling model that would require the Power 4 leagues to each schedule 10 Power 4 opponents or Notre Dame, which the ACC, Big 12 and SEC mostly already do. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti has also stated publicly that he would agree to it, but Clark said that detail wasn't finalized Wednesday.
Clark said the group has talked a lot about the impact a 24-team field would have on the regular season, but "it's hard to know" for certain.
"The regular season is prime, and what happens to the regular season is important to us because we're here for the regular season," Clark said. "It's not the other way around."
Clark said there isn't another in-person meeting currently scheduled.
"The negotiations will continue," he said. "We got guidance from the management committee on things to consider, and if we need more, we'll get together as needed."