College Football Playoff Extends ESPN Talks on 24-Team Expansion After $7.8 Billion Rights Window Ends

Q: How did a risky fourth-down trick play save the defending champions from a monumental upset?

Indiana escaped because it paired urgency with precision at the exact moment the game was slipping away. Trailing 17-13 in the fourth quarter and facing fourth-and-1, the Hoosiers chose deception over a conventional conversion. Quarterback Josh Hoover sold the short-yardage look, then flipped the ball to Nick Marsh, who got behind a Nebraska coverage breakdown for a 44-yard touchdown with 7:13 left. That play turned a likely do-or-die snap into the game-winning score. The trick play mattered even more because Nebraska had controlled much of the day. The Cornhuskers led 10-3 at halftime, held the ball for long stretches, and went up 17-6 early in the fourth on Anthony Colandrea’s 39-yard touchdown run. Indiana’s offense had been uneven, with the run game largely contained and Hoover under pressure to create explosive plays. What saved the defending champions was their immediate response and their trust in Marsh. On the first play after falling behind by 11, Hoover hit Marsh for a 75-yard touchdown, cutting the deficit to 17-13. Marsh finished with six catches for 187 yards and two scores, while Hoover threw for 263 yards. Those two strikes flipped the game in a matter of minutes. Indiana’s defense then closed it out. After being stressed for most of the afternoon, the Hoosiers forced the stops they needed late, including a decisive fourth-down sack, preserving a 20-17 comeback and extending their winning streak to 22 games.

3 articles · Updated · Los Angeles Times · Oct 10

The College Football Playoff said Saturday it will keep negotiating with ESPN on media rights tied to a possible expansion from 12 teams to 24.
The talks continue after a 30-day exclusive negotiating window with ESPN expired Friday without a final agreement on the added games.
ESPN's new six-season CFP contract, which starts this year, is worth $7.8 billion and gives the network first rights to the first two games in any expanded format.
A move to 24 teams would double the current field and reshape the playoff's scale, making the media-rights outcome central to any expansion plan.

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Los Angeles Times23h ago

College Football Playoff Continues ESPN Talks for Potential 24-Team Expansion

X6h ago

FOX 5 DC on X: "The College Football Playoff and ESPN are continuing discussions regarding potential expansion to 24 teams following Friday's deadline. https://t.co/QahSftobtl" / X

Bozeman Daily Chronicle10h ago

CFP and ESPN extend discussion of media rights for possible expansion from 12 to 24 playoff teams

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Will a massive 24-team playoff expansion ultimately destroy the high-stakes drama of college football?

How did a risky fourth-down trick play save the defending champions from a monumental upset?

What hidden psychological barrier keeps Nebraska from breaking an eight-year curse against ranked opponents?

College Football Playoff Extends ESPN Talks on 24-Team Expansion After $7.8 Billion Rights Window Ends

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