Former Tennessee HC Derek Dooley is pushing for a G5 playoff that would be financially backed by private equity and I have questions.
https://www.cbssport...e-equity-firms/
First, while I'm sure it'd be great for every G5 team to legitimately have a shot at winning a championship at the start of every season, can this idea make enough money for them to actually do it? Private equity isn't investing a dime into something that they don't have pretty strong assurances of making money back. As with everything in college football now, the money primarily comes from TV networks, so someone is going to have to be convinced enough people will watch.
Looking forward, the G5 is set to get $1.8M per school (in AAV) with the next CFP contract that starts in the 2026 season. While that's higher in raw numbers than the current payout of $1.5M AAV, it is significantly less than the overall share of CFP money they were getting - the G5 currently splits about 22% of the current pot, but will get only 9% under the next deal. They are also guaranteed one bid in the next format (the exact details of which are still TBD), just as they are guaranteed one spot in '24-'25.
Still, when you look at the money disparity it is clear they are gradually getting shoved out by the power conferences, and they lack the leverage/clout to do anything about it, so I would not be surprised if there comes a time when the only sensible choice is for them to go their own way and make the best of it. But I don't think that time will come in this decade.