College Football Playoff Payouts 2023-2024
Last Updated on December 4, 2023
Revenue for the College Football Playoff is distributed annually according to a pre-determined formula, which is subject to adjustments each year. We update this page annually, so be sure and bookmark it. The current year’s distribution plan is below.
How much does a team get for making the College Football Playoff?
Each conference receives $6 million from the College Football Playoff for each team selected for a semifinal game and $4 million for each team that plays in a non-playoff bowl under the College Football Playoff (Cotton, Fiesta and Peach Bowls in years they are not semifinal sites). There is no additional payout for the National Championship Game, only additional expenses covered.
Where does the College Football Playoff money go?
2023-24 College Football Playoff Revenue Distribution Plan
According to the College Football Playoff, the following estimates of the CFP revenue distribution are based on preliminary calculations for the 2022-23 season and are only approximate projections of potential revenue distribution from each component:
- Each conference will receive $300,000 for each of its schools when the school’s football team meets the NCAA’s APR for participation in a post-season football game. Each independent institution will also receive $300,000 when its football team meets that standard.
- A conference will receive $6 million for each team that is selected for the semifinal games. There will be no additional distribution to conferences whose teams qualify for the national championship game. A conference will receive $4 million for each team that plays in a non-playoff bowl under the arrangement.
- Each conference whose team participates in a playoff semifinal, Cotton, Fiesta, or Peach Bowl, or in the national championship game will receive $2.85 million to cover expenses for each game.
- Additionally, certain conferences in the Football Championship Subdivision will receive $3.08 million in aggregate.
Actual College Football Playoff Payouts for 2022-23
Based on calculations from the 2022-23 season, the following distributions were made in the spring of 2023:
Each of the 10 conferences received a base amount. For conferences that have contracts for their champions to participate in the Orange, Rose, or Sugar bowls (the “Power Five”), the base combined with the full academic performance pool was approximately $79.41 million for each conference (up from $74 million in 2021-22).
The five conferences that do not have contacts for their champions to participate in the Orange, Rose or Sugar bowls (the “Group of Five”) received approximately $102.77 million in aggregate (full academic pool plus base), up from $95 million in 2021-22. The conferences distribute these funds as they choose. Notre Dame received a payment of $3.89 million by meeting the APR standard; the other three independents shared $1.89 million.
Calculations for 2023-24 will be made following the 2024 National Championship Game.
We also have the actual payouts from the College Football Playoff from 2014-2020.
Conference Distribution Policies for College Football Playoff Payouts
Conferences differ on exactly how they distribute College Football Playoff payouts to their members. Some conferences give participation bonuses–for lack of a better term–to the teams that participate in semifinal and national championship games, while others divide CFP money evenly between members as with all other revenue. The information below was last confirmed December 4, 2023.
ACC: awaiting confirmation from the ACC, but no participation bonus has been awarded to participating teams in previous years.
Big 12: CFP participants receive the higher of Formula A or B.
FORMULA A:
College Football Playoff (CFP) Championship, Semifinal
- Participation Subsidy: $2,532,395
- Travel Subsidy: $450/one-way mile
FORMULA B:
College Football Playoff (CFP) Championship, Semifinal
- Participation Subsidy: $2,138,467
- Travel Subsidy: $900/one-way mile
Big Ten: no participation bonus for participating teams.
Pac-12: no participation bonus for participating teams.
SEC: The SEC gives $2.05 million for each team participating in the semifinals and another $2.15 million for the championship game.
Two important things to know about bowl game payouts . . .
#1 Be aware that funds are distributed directly to conferences (with the exception of Independents), which each have their own rules for distribution to individual member institutions. For example, some conferences distribute evenly between all members while others grant bonuses to the participating team.
See here for an explanation of how College Football Playoff revenue flowed down to the four semifinal teams for the 2018-2019 season.
#2 These amounts do not include payouts from individual bowls that have direct contracts with conferences.
Bowl Payouts 2022-23
Payouts from the 2020-21 season from the College Football Playoff are listed here.
I’ve detailed the conference-by-conference payouts from the College Football Playoff for 2020-21 here.
| Bowl | Date | Bowl Matchup | Pay-Out | Fun/Interesting Fact |
| Bahamas Bowl | 12/16/22 | CUSA vs MAC | $225,000 | The inagural Bahamas Bowl in 2014 was the first major bowl game to be played outside the U.S. and Canada since the Bacardi Bowl in Havanna Cuba January 1, 1937. |
| Cure Bowl | 12/16/22 | American, CUSA, MAC, Sunbelt | $573,125 | The Cure Bowl is a platform to help raise capital for individual cancer researchers. |
| Fenway Bowl | 12/17/22 | ACC vs American | Unannounced | The Fenway Bowl is one of four active bowls that is played in a baseball stadium along with the Pinstripe Bowl (Yankee Stadium), the Holiday Bowl (Petco Park), and Guranteed Rate Bowl (Chase Field). |
| New Mexico Bowl | 12/17/22 | MWC vs. CUSA, American, Sun Belt or MAC | $1,050,000 | The winning trophy is a clay pot sculpted Marcellus and Elizabeth Media from the Zia Pueblo; the Outstanding Offensive and Defensive Player Awards were crafted by another Zia Pueblo artist Ralph Aragon who sculpted the awards as shields. |
| Jimmy Kimmel L.A. Bowl | 12/17/22 | MWC #1 vs. PAC-12 #5 | Unannounced | The inagural Jimmy Kimmel Bowl in 2021 was the first collegeiate Bowl played in SoFi Stadium; it is the first bowl named after a person. |
| Cricket Celebration Bowl | 12/17/2022 | MEAC vs. SWAC | $2,000,000 | ESPN partners with The 100 Black Men of Atlanta to manage the game’s ancillary events, which include a Youth Symposium, Robotics Showcase, Gospel Night and Fan Experience. |
| LendingTree Bowl | 12/17/2022 | MAC, Sunbelt, or CUSA | $1,500,000 | The mission of the LendingTree Bowl is to advance tourism and economic impact, provide educational and athletic opportunities to the youth of Mobile. |
| SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl | 12/17/2022 | SEC vs. Pac-12 | $2,900,000 | The Las Vegas Bowl is now the 16th-oldest game overall and ranks No. 13 in age on a list of current bowls that have remained in one city during their entire history. |
| Frisco Bowl | 12/17/2022 | American Athletic Conference, CUSA, MAC, Mountain West Conference, or Sun Belt | $650,000 | The Frisco Bowl is held at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas which is also the home stadium for FC Dallas and the location of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. |
| Myrtle Beach Bowl | 12/19/2022 | MAC, CUSA, or Sun Belt | Unannounced | The Myrtle Beach Bowl will be played at Brooks Stadium, located on the campus of Coastal Carolina. |
| Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | 12/20/2022 | Mountain West vs. MAC | $800,000 | The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl is the longest-running cold weather bowl game in college football. |
| Roofclaim.com Boca Raton Bowl | 12/20/2022 | CUSA, MAC, American Athletic Conference, Sun Belt, Mountain West, or Liberty University | $900,000 | This game is played at FAU stadium and is the only stadium that has views of the Atlantic Ocean. |
| R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl | 12/21/2022 | Sun Belt v. CUSA | $825,000 | Game day activities include Dashing through the Dome, a two-mile race through the Superdome. |
| Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl | 12/22/2022 | At-large vs. At-large | $1,350,000 | More than 40 military non-profits participate in providing free information and services to help veterans during the tailgate. |
| Radiance Technologies Indepndence Bowl | 12/23/2022 | Army West Point vs. American Athletic Conference | $2,200,000 | Every current member of the SEC except Tennessee, Florida and Kentucky has appeared in the game. |
| Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl | 12/23/2022 | AAC, ACC, Big 12, CUSA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12, SEC, independent programs, BYU, or Army | $1,125,000 | Bowl based on the legend of pirate José Gaspar, who allegedly terrorized Florida’s west coast for over four decades. |
| Easypost Hawai’i Bowl | 12/24/2022 | Mountain West v. CUSA | $1,200,000 | This will be the first bowl game since 2020, as last year the bowl had to be cancelled due to issues with COVID. |
| Quick Lane Bowl | 12/26/2022 | Big 10, MAC, or ACC | $2,000,000 | The Detroit Lions, who host the Quick Lane Bowl, is the only professional team to own and operate a bowl game. |
| Camellia Bowl | 12/27/2022 | Sun Belt vs. MAC | $300,000 | This bowl was named after the Alabama state flower, the Camellia. |
| Servpro First Responder Bowl | 12/27/2022 | American, ACC, Big 12 | $824,545 | This bowl honors first responders, which include: police officers, firefighters, EMS workers, correctional officers, search and rescue, dispatchers, secuirty guards federal agents, border patrol agents, and military personal, who are the first to arrive and provide emergency assistance. |
| Ticketsmarter Birmingham Bowl | 12/27/2022 | SEC vs. American | $1,374,545 | The TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl was one of seven bowls to sell out in 2021, and it was the first sell-out in that bowl game. |
| Guaranteed Rate Bowl | 12/27/2022 | Big Ten vs. Big 12 | $1,625,560 | The football game is played in an MLB ballpark in downtown Pheonix. |
| Military Bowl Presented by Peraton | 12/28/2022 | ACC vs. American | $2,066,990 | Proceeds from the bowl, in addition to supporting the USO, also go to Patriot Point which is the Military Bowl Foundation’s 294-acre retreat for wounded, ill and injured service members, their families and caregivers. |
| Autozone Liberty Bowl | 12/28/2022 | Big 12 vs. SEC | $4,700,000 | The AutoZone liberty bowl is the seventh oldest college bowl game. |
| San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl | 12/28/2022 | PAC-12 vs. ACC | $6,532,700 | This is the only bowl game to have a credit union as a title sponsor. |
| Taxact Texas Bowl | 12/28/2022 | Big 12 vs. SEC | $6,400,000 | Taxact recently renewed its title spondsorship of the bowl in a multi-year contract with ESPN Events. |
| Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl | 12/29/2022 | ACC vs. Big Ten | $4,400,000 | The bowl is played on Kentucky Bluegrass at Yankee stadium. |
| Cheez-It Bowl | 12/29/2022 | ACC vs. Big 12 | $6,071,760 | The bowl was originally called the Blockbuster bowl when it was founded in 1990. During the inaugural bowl, Florida State quarterback Casey Weldon completed 22-of-36 passes for 248 yards to lead the Seminoles to a 24-17 win over Penn State. |
| Valero Alamo Bowl | 12/29/2022 | Big 12 vs. PAC-12 | $8,252,740 | In the 30 years that the bowl has been hosted, the combined economic impact of the bowl has been over $950 million, and the contribution to higher education has been over $120 million with the team payouts and scholarships. |
| Duke’s Mayo Bowl | 12/30/2022 | ACC vs. Big Ten | $4,780,461 | In 2021, from September to December, over 755,000 jars of Duke’s Mayo were sold in Charlotte. Because of these sales, a check totaling $15,378 was presented to the NC Hospitality Workers Relief Fund during the Duke’s Mayo Bowl last year. |
| Tony the Tiger Bowl | 12/30/2022 | ACC vs. PAC-12 | $4,550,000 | In the last 86 years of the bowl being played, the bowl has hosted 78 different programs which is more than any other bowl’s history. |
| Taxslayer Gator Bowl | 12/30/2022 | SEC vs. ACC | $5,350,000 | Sixth oldest college bowl game and the first ever to be televised nationally coast-to-coast. |
| Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl | 12/30/2022 | MWC vs. MAC | $350,000 | The first bowl game streamed on Barstool Sports. |
| Capital One Orange Bowl | 12/30/2022 | ACC vs. SEC, Big Ten or Notre Dame | Contract Bowl | The University of Oklahoma has the most Orange Bowl appearances. |
| Transperfect Music City Bowl | 12/31/2022 | Big Ten vs. SEC | $5,700,000 | The first Music City Bowl was played at Vanderbilt University’s stadium in 1998. |
| Allstate Sugar Bowl | 12/31/2022 | SEC vs. Big 12 | Contract Bowl | The first Sugar Bowl game was held in Tulane Stadium in 1902. |
| Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl (Semifinal) | 12/31/2022 | Playoff Committee Places Teams | CFB Revenue Pool | The Peach Bowl originated as a fund-raiser for the Lions Clubs of Georgia. |
| VRBO Fiesta Bowl (Semifinal) | 12/31/2022 | Semifinal Site – Playoff Committee Places Teams | CFB Revenue Pool | At the end of the 2007 game, Boise State running back Ian Johnson proposed to his girlfriend; she said yes. |
| Reliaquest Bowl | 1/2/2023 | SEC or Big Ten vs. ACC | $6,400,000 | Iowa and Michigan are tied for the most appearances for the Reliaquest Bowl. |
| Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic | 1/2/2023 | Playoff Committee Places Teams | Contract Bowl | TCU won the first Cotton bowl in the 1936-1937 season. |
| Citrus Bowl | 1/2/2023 | Big Ten vs. SEC | $8,224,578 | Nicknamed “Little Bowl with the Big Heart,” given all the proceeds from the game went to charity. |
| Rose Bowl | 1/2/2023 | Semifinal Site – Playoff Committee Places Teams | Contract Bowl | Nicknamed “The Granddaddy of Them All,” it is the oldest bowl game. |
| College Football Playoff National Championship Presented By AT&T (SoFi Stadium) | 1/9/2023 | Peach winner vs. Fiesta winner | CFB Revenue Pool | Nick Saban has reached the College Football Playoff National Champtionship the most with six appearances. |
Research assistance provided by Madeline Myers and Darian Kelly
Historical Bowl Game Payouts by Year
2020-2021 College Football Playoff Payouts (actual payouts)
2019-20 College Football Playoff Payouts (actual payouts)
2018-19 College Football Playoff Payouts (actual payouts)
2017-18 College Football Playoff Payouts (actual payouts)
2016-17 College Football Playoff Payouts (actual payouts)
2015-16 College Football Playoff Payouts (actual payouts)
2014-15 College Football Playoff Payouts (actual payouts)
Bowl Championship Series vs. College Football Playoff Payouts