Group of Five exploring its own 'NIT of football': insiders

Members of the Group of Five already get an automatic bid in the expanded College Football Playoff, but those schools could create their own system anyway.

Group of Five schools could go their own way and create their own football playoff in the future, insiders reveal. / USA Today Sports | Imagn

While the Group of Five is already guaranteed at least one spot in college football's newly-expanded playoff, those member schools suspect the system could change again and are looking for ways to carve a space for themselves in the postseason going forward.

To that end, Group of Five commissioners will meet in Dallas next week to discuss the state of the G5. Among the subjects of conversation: "the possibility of a reshaped postseason incorporating the bowl system," according to Yahoo Sports.

"We are open to all of that," Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez said, via Yahoo. "That would be really interesting and have some value. What if it's like an NIT of football?"

The primary goal of the Group of Five is to make sure it can earn maximum revenue and interest at their level of football, while decidedly not surrendering their auto bid in the CFP going forward.

Related: Group of Five teams with best CFP hopes in 2024

The concern around the Group of Five is that it could be left in a worse position should the College Football Playoff decide to expand its format again after 2026, a move that could give more power to the bigger conferences, who could use their leverage to procure guarantees of their own, likely at the expense of the G5.

"They could change the format," AAC commissioner Mike Aresco said. "They've left it open."

"They", meaning the Power conferences, nearly changed their mind during the first playoff expansion process, reportedly threatening to remove the Group of Five's automatic bid, a threat that, had it come off, would have been "ruinous" for the G5, Nevarez said.

That places considerable pressure on the Group of Five to play its best football these next two years, and convince a skeptical College Football Playoff that they belong in their postseason.

But if worse comes to worse, the G5 will consider whatever options it can.

(Yahoo)

More: Predicting college football's 12 most likely playoff teams in 2024

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