ESPN and the College Football Playoff have agreed to a massive new rights deal that will keep the postseason format on the network through the 2031 season, according to a report from The Athletic.

ESPN and the playoff originally agreed in 2012 to a 12-year deal worth $5.64 billion, or roughly $470 million annually. That agreement expires after the 2025 season. According to The Athletic, the annual payout will be $608 million for the final two years of the original deal.

How much is ESPN’s deal with the College Football Playoff worth?

According to the report, the extension starting for the 2026 season is for six years and $7.8 billion and makes ESPN the continued broadcast partner for the 12-team playoff. The expanded format will begin during the 2024 season.

That makes the new agreement worth substantially more money for half the duration of the original deal, illustrating the outstanding success of the playoff and the increasing interest in the new format.

What this means for the playoff

While there are still items to be ticked off the to-do checklist, the completion of a new deal with ESPN removes one major hurdle before advancing into the 12-team era.

Before the new deal goes into effect, however, the playoff still must work through the nuts and bolts of the 12-team arrangement that was created before the dissolution of the Pac-12, which will occur after the end of this academic year.

The biggest unknown is how the playoff will approach the new Power Four and the number of at-large bids given to non-conference champions. While the playoff had indicated a desire to use a six plus six plan with the six top-rated conference winners and six at-large bids, that should shift to a five plus seven model.

What the new deal means for other networks

Fox was reportedly the other major network in the market for the expanded playoff. Adding the postseason would’ve joined the networks relationship with the Big Ten, which will feature an even more diverse collection of games with the league’s upcoming addition of Southern California, Washington, UCLA and Oregon.

That ESPN was able to retain the playoff shows the network’s immense clout in the world of college athletics. The network has owned the rights to the format since the playoff’s debut a decade ago and will remain the biggest player in the market, to the point where ESPN has and will continue to play an outsize role even in determining the makeup of the major conferences.

When it comes to the next two seasons until the new deal goes into effect, the network already owns the rights to the playoff quarterfinals, semifinals and championship game. Beginning next season, ESPN will add in the first-round games.

How the 12-team playoff will work

Once the five plus seven plan is made official, the selection committee will be tasked with picking the five best conference champions along with seven at-large bids. With just four power leagues, this method still ensures that at least one Group of Five conference winner makes the playoff.

The first round will be held at the home venues of the higher-rated teams. The four highest-ranked conference champions will receive a first-round bye to the quarterfinals, where they will be the home team. From there, the playoff will look identical to the four-team format that began with the semifinals.

Going off the College Football Playoff final rankings from last December, here’s how the playoff would’ve looked this past season had the 12-team field been in effect. (The playoff may decide to alter rankings slightly to avoid first-round rematches from the regular season, such as the one that would’ve taken place between Penn State and Ohio State.)

First round

No. 12 Liberty at No. 5 Florida State

No. 9 Missouri at No. 8 Oregon

No. 11 Mississippi at No. 6 Georgia

No. 10 Penn State at No. 7 Ohio State

Quarterfinals

No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 9 Missouri or No. 8 Oregon

No. 2 Washington vs. No. 10 Penn State or No. 7 Ohio State

No. 3 Texas vs. No. 11 Mississippi or No. 6 Georgia

No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 12 Liberty or No. 5 Florida State

The demand to see Caitlin Clark this season has been high, but as she goes for the NCAA women’s scoring record in her next game, ticket prices to see the historic achievement are reaching near-record levels.

Tickets to see No. 4 Iowa host Michigan on Thursday night has an average purchase price of $387, which is the second-most expensive women’s basketball game of all-time − college or WNBA − according to TickPick. But the average purchase price in the past week has been $521, showing how much the demand has risen as Clark nears the record.

The get-in price for the game is $426 as of Tuesday afternoon. On StubHub, courtside tickets could be purchased for $13,669 each with fees.

While Clark potentially rewriting the history books isn’t the top ticket price all-time, her and the Hawkeyes still own the most expensive women’s basketball game of all time. The regular season finale at home against Ohio State, which is Clark’s senior night, has an average purchase price of $517. The get-in price for that game on TickPick is $557.

It’s no surprise it cost hundreds of dollars to see Clark likely break Kelsey Plum’s record of 3,527 career points, as it hasn’t been cheap to see the superstar in action this season. Home games at Carver Hawkeye Arena have been sold out, and the same nearly goes for road games. The past four road contests for Iowa have been sellouts, and the last two road games of the season are already sold out. Tickets on the secondary market for the last two road games at Indiana and Minnesota are at least $100.

Iowa will hope to get a win if Clark breaks the record, with the Hawkeyes coming off an 82-79 upset loss at Nebraska on Sunday. Tip off for Thursday night is slated for 8 p.m. ET and will be streamed on Peacock.

After the Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl 58, viewers waited with anticipation to see Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift meet on the field to celebrate the championship.

After hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, the couple eventually found each other on the field, with Kelce saying ‘Come here, baby girl,’ as he and Swift embraced. Broadcast cameras picked up Swift and Kelce kissing and speaking to each other, but you couldn’t hear what was being said.

Now, we know.

The NFL released footage taken of the intimate moment and Kelce is mic’d-up so we can hear every word.

What did Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift say after Super Bowl win?

After a kiss, Kelce thanks Swift for being there to watch the game after she traveled from her Eras Tour concert in Tokyo just the day before.

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‘Thank you for coming, baby,’ Kelce said, as Swift said, ‘Oh, I cannot believe that.’

‘I can’t believe you,’ Swift said twice as Kelce thanks Swift for the support. ‘How did you do that?’ Swift adds.

‘Thank you for making it halfway across the world. You’re the best, baby. The absolute best,’ Kelce said.

‘Was it electric?’ Kelce asked before the two shared another kiss.

‘It was unbelievable,’ Swift said.

Swift and Kelce continued the Super Bowl celebration by hitting The Strip and partying at the Zouk Nightclub in Las Vegas. There, Kelce and Swift appeared to dedicate the lyrics of Swift’s ‘You Belong With Me’ to each other across the club, and they also danced and kissed to ‘Love Story.’

NBC Sports California announced Tuesday they are hiring Jenny Cavnar as their new primary play-by-play announcer for the Oakland A’s TV broadcasts.

Cavnar will become the first woman to hold that position in MLB history when the 2024 season begins. She replaces Glen Kuiper in the booth, who served as the television play-by-play voice for the A’s from 2006-2023. According to NBC, ‘she will call a majority of A’s games’ in her new role.

For the last 12 years, Cavnar served as the Colorado Rockies’ pregame and postgame show host for the now-defunct AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain. She also served as the network’s backup play-by-play voice, and in April 2018, she became the first woman since 1993 to call play-by-play for an MLB game.

Who is Jenny Cavnar

Cavnar is a five-time Emmy winner and became the first woman to win the National Sports Media Administration’s Colorado Sportscaster of the Year award in 2021.

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“It is a dream come true to join the broadcast team for the Oakland A’s and their rich baseball history,” she said in a statement via NBC Sports. “Growing up the daughter of a baseball coach, I have loved the game from a young age, along with the stories, history and relationships the game provides. I’m excited to start my 18th season as a major league broadcaster with my good friend, Dallas Braden, and share our experiences with the loyal fans of the Athletics as we go on this ride together.”

In the five years prior to her job with the Rockies, Cavnar worked as the pregame and postgame host for the San Diego Padres. She graduated from Colorado State in 2004.

Dallas Braden reacts to Jenny Cavnar hiring

Dallas Braden, former Oakland A’s pitcher and current color commentator for NBC Sports California, posted a video to social media site X (formerly known as Twitter) sharing his excitement about his new booth partner.

‘[Cavnar’s] depth and wealth of knowledge when it comes to the baseball diamond is going to be apparent from the first pitch,’ he said. ‘You’re going to love her insight. You’re going to love her energy.’

On Tuesday, the NFL released the list of 2024 draft prospects who were invited to the scouting combine.

The annual event is a pivotal showcase for the prospects in that year’s draft, with team general managers, head coaches, positional coaches and scouts all gathering in Indianapolis to get an up-close-and-personal look at the prospective NFL players. In addition to on-field testing drills, prospects will be medically examined and official heights and weights taken by the league.

It should come as no surprise, but college football national champion Michigan had the most players invited to this year’s combine with 18.

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Here’s everything you need to know for the 2024 NFL scouting combine:

When is the 2024 NFL scouting combine?

The combine will begin on Monday, Feb. 26 and run through Monday, March 4. On-field workouts start on Thursday, Feb. 29.

NFL Network will air the workouts, with streaming available on NFL+.

Where will the NFL combine be in 2024?

The NFL scouting combine will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana, which has hosted the pre-draft event since 1987. The combine events will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts.

How many players get invited to the NFL combine?

This year, there were 321 prospects invited to the NFL scouting combine.

NFL scouting combine 2024: Which players were invited?

QUARTERBACKS

Jayden Daniels, LSU
Sam Hartman, Notre Dame
Devin Leary, Kentucky
Drake Maye, North Carolina
J.J. McCarthy, Michigan
Joe Milton III, Tennessee
Bo Nix, Oregon
Michael Penix Jr., Washington
Michael Pratt, Tulane
Spencer Rattler, South Carolina
Austin Reed, Western Kentucky
Kedon Slovis, BYU
Jordan Travis, Florida State
Caleb Williams, USC

RUNNING BACKS

Rasheen Ali, Marshall
Braelon Allen, Wisconsin
Emani Bailey, TCU
Trey Benson, Florida State
Jonathon Brooks, Texas
Blake Corum, Michigan
Isaiah Davis, South Dakota State
Ray Davis, Kentucky
Daijun Edwards, Georgia
Audric Estimé, Notre Dame
Frank Gore Jr., Southern Mississippi
Isaac Guerendo, Louisville
George Holani, Boise State
Bucky Irving, Oregon
Dillon Johnson, Washington
Jawhar Jordan, Louisville
Dylan Laube, New Hampshire
MarShawn Lloyd, USC
Jase McClellan, Alabama
Kendall Milton, Georgia
Keilan Robinson, Texas
Cody Schrader, Missouri
Will Shipley, Clemson
Jaden Shirden, Monmouth
Tyrone Tracy Jr., Purdue
Kimani Vidal, Troy
Michael Wiley, Arizona
Miyan Williams, Ohio State
Jaylen Wright, Tennessee

WIDE RECEIVERS

Javon Baker, UCF
Jermaine Burton, Alabama
Jalen Coker, Holy Cross
Keon Coleman, Florida State
Malachi Corley, Western Kentucky
Jacob Cowing, Arizona
Ryan Flournoy, Southeast Missouri State
Troy Franklin, Oregon
Anthony Gould, Oregon State
Lideatrick Griffin, Mississippi State
Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State
Jha’Quan Jackson, Tulane
Cornelius Johnson, Michigan
Xavier Legette, South Carolina
Luke McCaffrey, Rice
Ladd McConkey, Georgia
Jalen McMillan, Washington
Bub Means, Pittsburgh
Adonai Mitchell, Texas
Malik Nabers, LSU
Rome Odunze, Washington
Ricky Pearsall, Florida
Ja’Lynn Polk, Washington
Brenden Rice, USC
Tayvion Robinson, Kentucky
Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, Georgia
Ainias Smith, Texas A&M
Brian Thomas Jr., LSU
Jamari Thrash, Louisville
Devaughn Vele, Utah
Devontez Walker, North Carolina
Malik Washington, Virginia
Tahj Washington, USC
Xavier Weaver, Colorado
Jordan Whittington, Texas
Isaiah Williams, Illinois
Johnny Wilson, Florida State
Roman Wilson, Michigan
Xavier Worthy, Texas

TIGHT ENDS

Erick All, Iowa
AJ Barner, Michigan
Jaheim Bell, Florida State
Brock Bowers, Georgia
Devin Culp, Washington
Dallin Holker, Colorado State
Theo Johnson, Penn State
Trey Knox, South Carolina
Tanner McLachlan, Arizona
Tip Reiman, Illinois
Ja’Tavion Sanders, Texas
Ben Sinnott, Kansas State
Brevyn Spann-Ford, Minnesota
Cade Stover, Ohio State
Jack Westover, Washington
Jared Wiley, TCU

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN

Isaiah Adams, Illinois
Joe Alt, Notre Dame
Kiran Amegadjie, Yale
Gottlieb Ayedze, Maryland
Karsen Barnhart, Michigan
Graham Barton, Duke
Cooper Beebe, Kansas State
Keaton Bills, Utah
Tanor Bortolini, Wisconsin
Javion Cohen, Miami (Fla.)
Andrew Coker, TCU
Brandon Coleman, TCU
Frank Crum, Wyoming
Anim Dankwah, Howard
Ethan Driskell, Marshall
Kingsley Eguakun, Florida
Josiah Ezirim, Eastern Kentucky
Olumuyiwa Fashanu, Penn State
Troy Fautanu, Washington
Blake Fisher, Notre Dame
Jeremy Flax, Kentucky
Javon Foster, Missouri
Zach Frazier, West Virginia
Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State
X’Zauvea Gadlin, Liberty
Nick Gargiulo, South Carolina
Delmar Glaze, Maryland
Matt Goncalves, Pittsburgh
Tylan Grable, UCF
Garret Greenfield, South Dakota State
Tyler Guyton, Oklahoma
C.J. Hanson, Holy Cross
Christian Haynes, Connecticut
LaDarius Henderson, Michigan
Christian Jones, Texas
Matthew Jones, Ohio State
Trente Jones, Michigan
Trevor Keegan, Michigan
Jarrett Kingston, USC
Brady Latham, Arkansas
JC Latham, Alabama
Sataoa Laumea, Utah
Matt Lee, Miami (Fla.)
KT Leveston Jr., Kansas State
Beaux Limmer, Arkansas
Christian Mahogany, Boston College
Mason McCormick, South Dakota State
Dylan McMahon, North Carolina State
Amarius Mims, Georgia
Jacob Monk, Duke
Jordan Morgan, Arizona
Hunter Nourzad, Penn State
Drake Nugent, Michigan
Patrick Paul, Houston
Julian Pearl, Illinois
Prince Pines, Tulane
Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon
Dominick Puni, Kansas
Andrew Raym, Oklahoma
Layden Robinson, Texas A&M
Roger Rosengarten, Washington
Walter Rouse, Oklahoma
Nick Samac, Michigan State
Kingsley Suamataia, BYU
Jalen Sundell, North Dakota State
Nathan Thomas, Louisiana
Charles Turner III, LSU
Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, Georgia
Caedan Wallace, Penn State
Zak Zinter, Michigan

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN

Austin Booker, Kansas
Solomon Byrd, USC
DeWayne Carter, Duke
Nelson Ceaser, Houston
Myles Cole, Texas Tech
Jaden Crumedy, Mississippi State
Tyler Davis, Clemson
Brandon Dorlus, Oregon
Justin Eboigbe, Alabama
Jonah Elliss, Utah
Braden Fiske, Florida State
Gabe Hall, Baylor
Michael Hall Jr., Ohio State
Jaylen Harrell, Michigan
Marcus Harris, Auburn
Jalyx Hunt, Houston Christian
Adisa Isaac, Penn State
Brennan Jackson, Washington State
McKinnley Jackson, Texas A&M
Javontae Jean-Baptiste, Notre Dame
Trajan Jeffcoat, Arkansas
Jordan Jefferson, LSU
Kris Jenkins, Michigan
Cedric Johnson, Mississippi
Mohamed Kamara, Colorado State
Marshawn Kneeland, Western Michigan
Laiatu Latu, UCLA
Logan Lee, Iowa
Zion Logue, Georgia
Fabien Lovett Sr., Florida State
Braiden McGregor, Michigan
Byron Murphy II, Texas
Myles Murphy, North Carolina
Jer’Zhan Newton, Illinois
Eyabi Okie-Anoma, Charlotte
Ruke Orhorhoro, Clemson
Keith Randolph Jr., Illinois
Chop Robinson, Penn State
Darius Robinson, Missouri
Justin Rogers, Auburn
Maason Smith, LSU
Javon Solomon, Troy
T’Vondre Sweat, Texas
Leonard Taylor III, Miami (Fla.)
Xavier Thomas, Clemson
Bralen Trice, Washington
David Ugwoegbu, Houston
Jared Verse, Florida State
Eric Watts, Connecticut
Mekhi Wingo, LSU

LINEBACKERS

Michael Barrett, Michigan
JD Bertrand, Notre Dame
Tatum Bethune, Florida State
Chris Braswell, Alabama
Aaron Casey, Indiana
Steele Chambers, Ohio State
Junior Colson, Michigan
Edgerrin Cooper, Texas A&M
Kalen DeLoach, Florida State
Khalid Duke, Kansas State
Tommy Eichenberg, Ohio State
Jaylan Ford, Texas
Easton Gibbs, Wyoming
Cedric Gray, North Carolina
Ty’Ron Hopper, Missouri
Jontrey Hunter, Georgia State
Curtis Jacobs, Penn State
Tyrice Knight, UTEP
Marist Liufau, Notre Dame
Jordan Magee, Temple
Darius Muasau, UCLA
Gabriel Murphy, UCLA
Maema Njongmeta, Wisconsin
Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Clemson
Zion Tupuola-Fetui, Washington
Dallas Turner, Alabama
Edefuan Ulofoshio, Washington
Trevin Wallace, Kentucky
Nathaniel Watson, Mississippi State
Payton Wilson, North Carolina State

DEFENSIVE BACKS

Kris Abrams-Draine, Missouri
Daijahn Anthony, Mississippi
Terrion Arnold, Alabama
Cole Bishop, Utah
Beau Brade, Maryland
Millard Bradford, TCU
Jarvis Brownlee Jr., Louisville
Javon Bullard, Georgia
Calen Bullock, USC
Jaylon Carlies, Missouri
Caelen Carson, Wake Forest
Ryan Cooper Jr., Oregon State
Cooper DeJean, Iowa
M.J. Devonshire, Pittsburgh
Marcellas Dial, South Carolina
Johnny Dixon, Penn State
Willie Drew, Virginia State
Renardo Green, Florida State
Kamal Hadden, Tennessee
Dominique Hampton, Washington
Myles Harden, South Dakota
Daequan Hardy, Penn State
Cam Hart, Notre Dame
Jaden Hicks, Washington State
Khyree Jackson, Oregon
DJ James, Auburn
Carlton Johnson, Fresno State
Isaiah Johnson, Syracuse
Elijah Jones, Boston College
Jarrian Jones, Florida State
Jaylen Key, Alabama
Kamren Kinchens, Miami (Fla.)
Kalen King, Penn State
Kamari Lassiter, Georgia
Dwight McGlothern, Arkansas
Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama
Patrick McMorris, Cal
Max Melton, Rutgers
Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo
Malik Mustapha, Wake Forest
Josh Newton, TCU
Tyler Nubin, Minnesota
Kitan Oladapo, Oregon State
Tyler Owens, Texas Tech
Andru Phillips, Kentucky
Deantre Prince, Mississippi
Nehemiah Pritchett, Auburn
Josh Proctor, Ohio State
Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Missouri
Decamerion Richardson, Mississippi State
Demani Richardson, Texas A&M
Christian Roland-Wallace, USC
Mike Sainristil, Michigan
Andre’ Sam, LSU
Jaylin Simpson, Auburn
Tykee Smith, Georgia
Chau Smith-Wade, Washington State
Tarheeb Still, Maryland
T.J. Tampa, Iowa State
Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, Texas Tech
Ro Torrence, Arizona State
Sione Vaki, Utah
Josh Wallace, Michigan
Ryan Watts, Texas
Nate Wiggins, Clemson
Evan Williams, Oregon
James Williams, Miami (Fla.)

SPECIALISTS

Joshua Karty, kicker, Stanford
Cam Little, kicker, Arkansas
Harrison Mevis, kicker, Missouri
Ryan Rehkow, punter, BYU
Will Reichard, kicker, Alabama
Tory Taylor, punter, Iowa

In February for Black History Month, USA TODAY Sports is publishing the series ’29 Black Stories in 29 Days.’ We examine the issues, challenges and opportunities Black athletes and sports officials continue to face after the nation’s reckoning on race following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. This is the fourth installment of the series.

NFL analyst Merril Hoge recently offered the first of possibly many blistering assessments of USC quarterback Caleb Williams.

‘The one thing that is clear (is that) he is not special,’ Hoge said. ‘He is not something unique like Patrick Mahomes. And I hope the Bears don’t think ‘Well, let’s try to make up for our mistake for when we passed on Patrick Mahomes and go get Patrick Mahomes.’ The kid is not Patrick Mahomes. He ain’t even remotely close to that.’

Hoge added: ‘First of all, his ability to throw on the run is very disturbing. It is very inaccurate and it’s all over the place. There’s a ton of RPO (run pass option), which nobody is going to RPO themselves to a Super Bowl in our league. … You gotta push the ball down the field. There are times when he does that. He doesn’t play with a lot of anticipation because of all the clean pockets that exist for him.

‘The thing that’s disturbing me right now is his inability to be consistent on the move as a thrower. And he’s willing to do that a lot more than he has to. You don’t have that choice in our league…I don’t see anything magical with his arm…”

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How do you really feel, Hoge?

Hoge gets lots right and plenty wrong. Cam Newton is a good example of what he got wildly wrong.

‘The only word I can use after watching four games is atrocious,’ Hoge said of Newton before the 2011 draft. ‘You never know where that ball will end up. In fact, he was more of a runner than he ever was a passer.’

Williams can expect to get the Newton treatment. Newton was shredded by some analysts with one saying the quarterback had a ‘fake smile.’ You don’t have to go back to Newton. Last year during the draft process quarterback C.J. Stroud had test scores leaked. But Newton is one of the gold standards of NFL disparate treatment.

Some of the evaluations of Williams, like Hoge’s, will be earnest. Maybe they will be harsh. Or favorable. But they will be earnest.

“The evidence strongly suggests that racial bias is blinding teams in the draft process, leading them to prefer inferior quarterbacks as long as they’re not Black,” the site wrote.

It added: “In other words, Black quarterbacks are penalized in the draft solely for being Black, our analysis suggests, and it’sa penalty that reverberates years into their professional careers.”

“Black quarterbacks probably aren’t getting in the (draft) pool unless they’re amazing,” David Berri, a professor of economics at Southern Utah University who has studied race in the NFL, told SFGATE. “White quarterbacks are getting in the pool when they’re not amazing. That’s why you see this.” 

Williams could be another one of these quarterbacks who could be judged harshly because he’s already seen as polarizing (even though he really isn’t).

Again, this isn’t about Hoge, who last year said he felt Stroud would be good in the NFL. He just won offensive rookie of the year. This is about, if history repeats, there will be some evaluators both with teams and in the media who will evaluate Williams in good faith. There will be others who won’t because he’s a Black quarterback. It will happen because it happens repeatedly.

You can count on it.