ACC could lose $116 million in CFP payout, if Duke upsets Virginia in title game originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The Atlantic Coast Conference faces a stunning financial and competitive setback as it braces for the possibility of missing the 12-team College Football Playoff entirely. A scenario that could cost the league up to $116 million in revenue distributions, according to Front Office Sports’ David Rumsey. The conference’s best chance to secure a berth hinges on No. 17 Virginia beating Duke in Saturday’s ACC championship game. A Cavaliers victory would position Virginia as the fourth-highest-ranked conference champion, triggering an automatic $8 million payout to the league. However, a Duke win would shift that bonus to the American Athletic Conference, with No. 20 Tulane likely to claim the final guaranteed spot after a championship win over North Texas. No. 12 Miami remains the ACC’s only remote at-large possibility, though its path appears slim ahead of Sunday’s final CFP rankings. It’s highly unlikely the Canes will sneak in without a few setbacks for other teams. A total shutout would mark an unprecedented outcome for the expanded format, which was designed with the expectation that all Power 4 leagues would earn at least one Playoff berth annually. Instead, the ACC could watch two Group of 6 champions, which will likely be Tulane and James Madison, enter the field.Beginning next year, CFP revenue distribution will shift, leaving the ACC with just a 17% share. But this year, without a Playoff team, the league risks walking away with nothing.More college football news: Deion Sanders buyout, contract details as Colorado Buffaloes coachVirginia Tech reportedly funding roster near top of ACC for James FranklinLeaked NSFW audio exposes Penn State AD Pat Kraft’s identity crisis in Happy ValleyDiego Pavia asks Donald Trump to fix the College Football Playoff