The College Football Playoff (CFP) expansion from four to 12 teams will bring positive effects to all smaller Division One programs around the country, including Texas State.
The expansion will help smaller Division One football programs because it will create better job security for coaches, programs will see an increased amount of revenue and more winning seasons will be considered “successful.”
According to CBS Sports, the total revenue brought in from the four-team CFP in 2022 totaled $600 million and is assumed to double to an estimated $1.2 billion due to the increase of playoff teams from four to 12.
CBS Sports said it would be beneficial to split the last 20% of revenue from the new CFP expansion between each school from the Group of Five conferences (AAC, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West and Sun Belt). Due to the increase in revenue across collegiate football, every school from the Group of Five Conferences, including Texas State, will receive an additional $3.9 million per year.
With this revenue, Texas State and other small D1 universities will have more opportunities to spend on their football programs. They can use additional money for upgrading facilities and increasing coaching salaries.
Despite these projections, the exact increase in revenue for the expansion will not be known until playoffs conclude. However, there is no evidence showing programs will not see the expected increase in revenue from the expansion.
In addition to increased revenue, more football programs will now have better chances of having “successful” seasons. According to Sports Illustrated, rather than a program ending their season on a bowl win or loss, they now get the chance to play in the CFP and keep their season alive.
Teams with one loss and unproven teams with a weak strength of schedule will now, likely, make the CFP top 12 teams as opposed to missing out on the CFP top four teams prior to the expansion. Bowl winners, unproven teams and one-loss teams now have a better chance to go on and compete for a national championship.
According to CBS Sports, the expansion will also bring better job security to collegiate football coaches like current NCAA basketball coaches have.
NCAA basketball coaches can keep their jobs until they retire, so long as they are maintaining wins. Teams that make the NCAA basketball tournament have banners hanging in their arenas, the majority of them marking that season successful for coaches and athletes.
The CFP expansion has the potential to have the same effect for NCAA football coaches. Leading a team to the CFP should be seen as an incredible achievement. Football coaches who make it to the CFP deserve the same respect basketball coaches receive for making the NCAA tournament.
Every team with a “successful season” will not make the CFP because there will never be enough room for all teams deemed successful. Job security varies from program to program for college football coaches. A coach from a small school will still be on the hot seat if they consistently lose, even if they have led a past season to the College Football Playoff.
Not only will the College Football Playoff expansion help bigger football programs make the final jump toward a championship, but it will also help smaller programs, like Texas State, in many ways. Smaller schools deserve recognition and the CFP expansion is a step in the right direction.
-Jacob De Luna is a journalism sophomore
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