The Tulane Green Wave made more than history as they clinched their first-ever College Football Playoff berth. The program will receive a major, multi-million payout as one of the four-highest ranked conference champions, changing their future.
The Tulane Green Wave are set to receive a potential program-changing payout for their bid in the College Football Playoff – and it may be thanks to their win over the Duke Blue Devils. With the ACC title game imploding in chaos, the Green Wave slotted in as the fourth highest-ranked conference champion in the CFP seeding. This year, the top four highest-ranked conference champions will earn a guaranteed $8 million for their conference – whether they win their game or not. Importantly, that won’t be divvied out equally in the American conference.
Win or lose on Dec. 20 against the Ole Miss Rebels in the first-round of the college football playoff, Tulane will receive $8.1 million from the CFP, as reported and broken down by Jeff Duncan of Nola.com (subscription required). The American has a performance-based revenue share system – unlike most other conferences – and that allows them to reward successful programs for their own success. The Green Wave have been in the title game for four seasons straight and are the second-ever team in the American to make the CFP.
Where does that additional $100k come from? Tulane will receive $6.1 million of the total $8 million payout to the American conference, as well as an added $2 million for travel and operation expenses paid out by the CFP. Should they pull off the upset in Oxford and advance to the quarterfinals against Georgia? That Sugar Bowl payout would be an additional $6 to $7 million.
For reference, the Cotton Bowl appearance awarded the American $4 million, per Front Office Sports, and the conference at the time included the departed-Big 12 members Cincinnati Bearcats, Houston Cougars, and UCF Knights. It’s not clear how the revenue was divided back then, but even if the Green Wave hypothetically walked away with 100% of that payout – which they did not – that is still less than half of what they stand to receive from their CFP appearance.
As Duncan reports, while not specified at this time, it’s expected that most of the resources will be poured back into the football program, emphasizing the Green Wave Talent Fund, which fuds the school’s internal NIL structure. Then there are the intangible benefits that come with two weeks of exposure in the lead-up, and as one of just 12 schools in the Playoff, that publicity will be exponential compared to anything Tulane has had in the past. That alone is millions worth in value.
Now, the program has the momentum. Will they take it and run with it? They have proof of what investment can do for both football and the university as a whole when applications soared through the roof after the Cotton Bowl victory. It might not be felt immediately. But the impacts of $8.1 million dollars for a Group of Five program are significant. When people ask why G5 wants to fight for a spot in the CFP despite people thinking they don’t have a shot at a national title, they conveniently seem to forget that this chance is worth literal millions of future opportunities as much as next Saturday’s.