What happened: ESPN's $1.3 billion annual deal would grow by an additional $345 million, a 26% bump for double the inventory. The added inventory centers on early-round games between schools in the back half of the top 25. Ten conference championship games would be eliminated to clear that inventory.

Why it matters: Rebates of $140 million to ESPN and about $50 million to Fox for lost title games cut net new money to about $155 million a year. That leaves SEC schools with about $2.8 million each and Group of 6 schools with about $200,000 against a $21.5 million athlete-share benchmark. The regular-season stakes shrink while departments gain incremental funds.

What to watch: Leaders still must finalize terms and the elimination of title games before next season kicks off.