College Football Playoff expansion puts Apple Cup’s future in question

The college football landscape is shifting once again. 

On Monday, the College Football Playoff committee announced it had agreed to expand the playoff to 24 teams starting in 2027. It signed a five-year broadcast agreement with ESPN worth $1.7 billion, according to ESPN’s Heather Dinich. 

“I’ve been very adamant that I think it’s fantastic,” University of Washington coach Jedd Fisch said Monday. He noted having 24 teams making the CFP is 34.8% of the 68 Power Four conference programs plus Notre Dame, closer to the 43% of NFL teams that make the playoffs each season. “I think the way college football is going right now, it’s needed. You need to be able to have these opportunities to keep playing.” 

Approval of the 24-team field, however, isn’t the only major change coming to college football. 

The future of conference championship games, officially, were left to the discretion of individual conferences, but the Power Four — the Big Ten, SEC, Big 12 and ACC — all announced they will discontinue championship games after 2026. 

And Power Four teams will be required to play at least 10 of their 12 games each season against Power Four opponents. For UW, that means nine Big Ten games and one nonconference game against a team from the SEC, Big 12 or ACC. 

The announcement creates a challenging situation for the Huskies, who do not have a Power Four opponent scheduled for either of the next two seasons. UW’s nonconference slate for 2027 includes Washington State, Fresno State and FCS Portland State. Its 2028 schedule includes WSU, FCS Eastern Washington and UNLV. 

Fisch said Monday that he was not privy to discussions about UW’s future schedules in the aftermath of CFP expansion but added that he trusts athletic director Pat Chun, senior deputy athletic director and chief operating officer Erin O’Connell, associate athletic director for sport administration Justin Glenn and senior director of football administration Matthew Hayes to work through the intricacies of the scheduling agreements and find a solution. 

“My sole focus right now is on Michigan State, trying to do the best we can here,” Fisch said, referring to the Huskies’ next opponent. “See if we can get to 1-0 this week … And then, I’m sure they will come back to me and say, ‘Hey, this is who we’re playing.’ And we’ll dial it up and be ready to go.” 

UW’s immediate future scheduling is likely to remain the same. A source with knowledge of the situation told The Seattle Times that schools expect to receive a waiver for the new scheduling standards in 2027 because the abrupt change makes finding a replacement game difficult. 

That means UW still expects to open its next campaign with the 119th Apple Cup against WSU on Aug. 28 in Pullman before hosting Fresno State on Sept. 4 and Portland State on Sept. 11. 

The 2028 schedule, however, is more challenging if waivers are no longer offered. The source said schools have sought direction from the conference office but had not received clarity as of Monday afternoon. 

UW doesn’t have to worry about the scheduling standards in 2029 or 2030, when it begins a home-and-away series with Tennessee. The Huskies will travel to Knoxville, Tenn., on Sept. 1, 2029 before the Volunteers make their first visit to Seattle on Sept. 7, 2030. 

However, the schedule requirement adds a layer of complexity to the Apple Cup’s potential continuation. The rivalry game — which has two years remaining on the five-year agreement the schools signed in 2023 — already faced an uncertain future because of UW’s nonconference away game against Tennessee in 2029. 

UW’s financial model requires it to play at least seven home games every season to maximize ticket sales, one of the three main revenue streams for college athletic departments. Based on the current Big Ten schedule rotation, UW will host five conference games in 2029. It already has a home nonconference game against Boise State scheduled for Sept. 15, 2029.

A seventh home game against WSU might make sense for Washington. However, the Apple Cup will be played in Seattle in 2028, meaning the 2029 game would be hosted in Pullman if the current rotation continues.

WSU has no obligation to forfeit a year of Apple Cup gate revenue to make the rivalry continue. 

In 2030, when UW hosts Tennessee and Hawaiʻi, it will likely have only four home conference games. Meaning it will probably seek a third home nonconference opponent, again limiting the Apple Cup’s ability to be played in Pullman. And scheduling WSU for the 2029 or 2030 season would prevent UW from playing an FCS opponent. 

Fisch admitted he worries about fan apathy amid all the changes and departures from tradition in college football. For example, Fisch said he will be sad to see conference championship games end despite his continued support for CFP expansion. He understands some of the disinterest when old rivalries are set aside for new conference membership. Television viewership is reportedly down across the board. 

“These games are becoming professionalized in a lot of ways,” Fisch said. “A lot of people might become disconnected or disengaged, and we can’t allow that to happen. I think we have to continue to educate and talk about like, ‘Yeah, (the student-athletes) might be paid. Or yes, the rules might be a little bit different.’ But they’re still going to class. They’re still getting a degree. They’re still going to be part of your alma mater.” 

But Fisch said the product still induces the gut-clenching, heart-pounding chaos that separates college football from the NFL. Regardless of who is playing. Only two Power Four conference teams — No. 2 Utah and No. 4 UCLA, both with first-year coaches — remain undefeated after 10 games. Only three SEC teams won at home Saturday. 

“No one has any idea what’s going to happen,” Fisch said. “So that, at least, is the best live television you can watch. But we have to continue to compete. Our kids are working their tails off. I wish people saw how hard they worked. And we’re going to do everything we can to continue to bring joy every Saturday, whether we play home or away.”