As CFP expansion talks open with ESPN, Sarkisian weighs impact on marquee nonconference matchups

College football moved closer to a larger postseason this week after College Football Playoff officials agreed to enter a 30-day negotiating window with ESPN regarding a proposed 24-team playoff field that could launch as early as 2027. ESPN is a media property of The Walt Disney Company (DIS), whose shares closed at $105.82, up 1.57% from the prior close of $104.18, valuing the company at roughly $181.8 billion.

The potential expansion raises a scheduling question for programs nationwide: will a bigger playoff encourage or discourage ambitious nonconference games like Saturday’s meeting between No. 1 Ohio State and No. 4 Texas in Austin?

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian addressed the topic Thursday, saying his instinct is that expansion would encourage such matchups, though he voiced concern about protecting the weight of the regular season. He noted that critics of a larger field worry about a “watered-down” regular season, while pointing to games like the Longhorns’ clash with the Buckeyes as central to what makes the sport compelling.

Sarkisian has firsthand experience with the resume stakes. Last season, Texas fell 14-7 at Ohio State in its opener and finished the regular season 9-3, landing at No. 13 in the final CFP rankings — outside the 12-team field. The Longhorns were left behind teams including Oklahoma (10-2) and Texas A&M (11-1), both of whom lost to Texas during the year. A loss to Florida in October also proved costly.

Since that season ended, Sarkisian has argued his team would have made the playoff at 10-2 had it scheduled a softer nonconference slate, citing national champion Indiana’s games against Old Dominion, Kennesaw State and Indiana State as an example. He maintains that losses in high-level nonconference games — such as Texas’s close defeat in Columbus — should not damage a team’s playoff credentials.

For ESPN’s parent Disney, the negotiating window carries business implications: a 24-team field would expand the postseason inventory up for rights discussion, with a deal potentially in place ahead of a 2027 launch.

What to watch

Key signals ahead: the outcome of the 30-day negotiating window between CFP officials and ESPN; any announced terms or timeline for a 24-team format; Texas and Ohio State’s Saturday result and its effect on subsequent CFP rankings; and Disney’s next earnings report, where executives may address sports rights strategy.

Source: original release