What does 12 team bracket mean for CU Buffs and CSU Rams?
Christmas in Kalamazoo. Thats where CU Buffs stalwarts would be around Christmas 2016  if the College Football Playoff had a field of 12 teams five years ago. $27 million. Thats what CU athletics could collect, as a share of its pooled annual post-season revenue, if the CFP, as expected, expands its bracket from four schools to a dozen. Thats three times more than the Buffs reported annual post-season revenue share of $9 million currently being obtained from the Pac-12. And on the plus side, $27 million could buy a ton of parkas and hot chocolate to avoid the worst a winter trip to the Great Lakes would cause. College football fans should be excited, Chuck Neinas, the Boulder-based former Big 12 and Big Eight commissioner, recently told The Post when asked about the expansion of the CFP, which is expected to take place before a vote of 11 University Presidents and Chancellors on Tuesday in Dallas. It will create more interest in the sport. Its broad, widespread, and I think theyve done an admirable job of finding a way to promote the sport, let alone showcase a meaningful championship. The games now at the end of October and November will mean something to many more people. Whats on the table  In the proposal, which was announced on June 10, the new CFP would feature a field of 12 teams that would be anchored by the six highest-ranking FBS conference champions, as determined by the selection committee, as well as the six highest-ranked major teams. Despite some Pac-12 opposition, at this time there is no automatic slot for the champion of any of the Power 5 conferences. And there is no limit to how many schools from a single league can qualify for the 12-team bracket. That was the biggest shock to me when it came out, Pac-12 Network analyst Yogi Roth told The Post. But its almost important to note that if one president (in the group) disagrees, the whole deal falls apart. So Im sure there was a lot of negotiation going on in that (case). Under the new format, the top four league champions would receive byes as the top four seeds. The first round matches would be in campus locations, with 5 for 12, 6 for 11, 7 for 10 and 8 for 9. The rest of the tournament would closely follow the current format, with national quarter-finals and semi-finals taking place at bowl are held. matches and the championship on a neutral ground. The first-round games on campus grounds were likely to take place in late December, within two weeks of the conference championships. The quarterfinals would likely be played on January 1 or 2, as well as on an adjacent day, and likely to be arranged so as not to conflict with the NFL schedule. The CFP is entering its eighth year of a 12-season television contract. Bill Hancock, the executive director of the Playoff, has said an expanded format will be implemented before the 2023 season at the earliest. What it means for CU  More money of course. And a chance for the Buffs, if a season goes like 2016, to play for something CU hasnt snorted since 1990: a national championship. Sure, if you have more slots, itll give you another shot at getting one or two more (Pac-12) teams into the mix, said Buffs athletic director Rick George. And I think thats good for our conference and good for Colorado. If the expanded format had been in place five years ago, CU, which finished its regular season with a 10-3 mark and a Pac-12 South title, would have taken the field as an 11 seed. The Buffs, who finished 10th in the latest CFP rankings released on December 4 after losing 31 points to Washington in the Pac-12 title game, are said to have qualified for a first-round match against the sixth-seeded Western Michigan, which set a 13-0 record during the 2016 regular season. Instead of a berth against Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl, the Buffs postseason trail is said to have started in Kalamazoo, Michigan midway or later in December. The winner of the CU-WMU tilt would have met third-seeded Washington in the quarterfinals at a neutral venue, who would have had a first-round bye. If the 2010-2019 12-team format existed, the Pac-12 would have fielded an average of two teams each season, based on the CFP or BCS rankings for the past decade. But under the current proposal, the Pac-12 would also be ruled out in 2020. Both Cincinnati, champion of the ACC and eighth in the latest CFP ranking, and Coastal Carolina, the 12th-ranked champion of the Sun Belt, are said to have racked up slots over national champion Oregon, which was ranked number 25 at the end of the regular season. Outgoing Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott issued a statement last Friday after the CFPs management committee approved the 12-team proposal to insist that all (Power 5) champions must qualify for the CFP annually. Either way, an expanded field could be a potential boon to CU and its fellow Pac-12 institutions. Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News reported last week, based on figures estimated by Chicago-based media research firm Navigate, the leagues revenues are expected to triple after the season on an expanded playoff  from $9 million per school currently to potentially $27 million at one. division with 12 teams. I think it would be really premature to talk about that because you dont know when they were going to negotiate and what it would look like, George said. But you should believe it would be in a better financial situation. What it means for CSU  Increased stakes. Hope. Possibly. While the Mountain West has suffered nationally from Utahs loss to the Pac-12 and TCU to the Big 12, Boise State is said to have made a 12-team playoff in 2014and possibly in 2011 and 2010. If the Rams goods to cause a shock in one of the Power 5 games they have planned for the next five years  traveling to Michigan and Washington State in 2022; to CU in 2023; to Texas in 2024; Texas Tech in 2025 or 2026 and take that momentum into the league game, the CFP selection committee would certainly take notice. On the other hand, the Rams have not won an MW title since 2002, which is also the last year in which CSU achieved a national ranking in the AP Top 25 poll in December. Its a nice bonus for us, the way I see it, said Rams athletic director Joe Parker. We have always made it clear that our expectation is to be the premier program in the Mountain West. And if you look at all the achievements in all our (sports), you have to earn a conference championship which is clearly the clearest path to the (new) CFP system, which is to be a conference champion and then one of the highest ranked champions in college football.