Former CBS Sports President Neal Pilson: Eight-Team College Football Playoff is Inevitable

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The College Football Playoff will eventually expand to eight teams within the length of the current contract and be worth at least $10 billion, former CBS Sports president Neal Pilson predicted in a conversation with CBS Sports this week.

Pilson was reacting, in part, to the regionalized nature of Monday's CFP National Championship between No. 2 Georgia and No. 4 Alabama.

"I think, from a television point of view, any sports executive would tell you he would prefer a team from the different part of the country," said Pilson, now a longtime sports media consultant.

"The best would be a Big Ten team in terms of the size of market."

There has been growing consternation this season that the only undefeated FBS team (UCF) was left out now that it has defeated an Auburn team that beat both finalists by a combined 35 points. Nevertheless, CFP administration and Power Five commissioners have said repeatedly there is no momentum to expand the field.

However, Pilson firmly believes the bracket will double to eight when the current ESPN-CFP contract expires after the 2026 playoff.

He also said he expects the current 12-year, $7.2 billion contract between ESPN and the CFP to be reopened before that date. Conservatively, Pilson expects rights fees would increase 50 percent to at least $10 billion if the CFP field was doubled.

"I think, from a competitive point of view, ESPN is going to focus on major packages," Pilson said. "The most major of the ESPN packages is college football and the College Football Playoff. It would make sense for ESPN."

"If I were running ESPN -- and I'm glad I'm not -- I would be exploring the advantages of a larger playoff," Pilson said. "I'm sure they've looked at it.

Short of individual star appeal, the Alabama brand name may be best ratings boost for the game. Television pays for brand names. The ACC rights are worth so much because of North Carolina-Duke. The same with the Big Ten and Michigan-Ohio State.

"Getting a team from the Northeast wouldn't make a difference," Pilson said. "Getting a team from the Pac-12 wouldn't make a difference, either. The matchup you'd like to have is a traditional Southern power like Alabama with Ohio State or Michigan.

"Having said that, the Oklahoma game was so exciting. … The most important factor will be the score. Just like Oklahoma-Georgia, you saw those ratings increase as the game went along. There are half a dozen schools in football and basketball that are the traditional power schools. Georgia doesn't have quite the name appeal as Alabama has. I've got to emphasize that game at the Rose Bowl made Georgia."

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