One trial balloon popped and the negotiations over the future of the College Football Playoff continue.

After a week of harsh criticism, part of the plan floated last Wednesday for a 14-team playoff appears dead. ESPN on Friday reported the death of a push for the SEC and Big Ten to receive automatic byes in this proposed format that would start in 2026.

Citing unnamed sources, ESPN reported that a branch of the previously leaked proposal “is starting to lose some steam among conference commissioners following public backlash.”

Yahoo Sports reported the same on Friday, noting the idea “has received enough pushback that many expect it to be tabled.”

In an era where consensus building is nearly impossible, the response to auto-byes was closer to unanimous.

RELATED OPINION: They went too far this time

That roundly rejected free passes for the two conferences holding most of the cards was just part of the bigger conversation about the future of the College Football Playoff. After years of the 4-team format launched in 2014, several factors collided to kickstart this reorganizational roulette that figures to codify the already recognized power structure.

The SEC and Big Ten — both expanding in 2024 to bolster already-deep lineups — are clearly exerting the power previously flexed both on the field and when negotiating TV deals for regular-season play.

Because where much of the attention in this current round of public dealmaking focused on the absurdity of automatic byes, the real prize is that cash.

No longer will the SEC and Big Ten settle for the same slice of the pie as the Big 12 and ACC, as multiple national outlets have reported. The Power 5 conferences currently split 80% of the CFP revenue evenly.

Well, Yahoo Sports reports the Big Ten and SEC seek 58% of the next deal — one that reportedly triples the current $460 million of annual revenue. The Big 12 and ACC would split 31% with everyone else getting 10%.

The fact the 2024 versions of the SEC and Big Ten have accounted for the vast majority of playoff teams to this point creates a position of strength. The two super leagues are currently home to 72.5% of the CFP teams in the 10 years of four-team brackets, Yahoo Sports notes. The new Big 12 sent two of the 40 playoff teams.

Of course, context is key in all of this. Information in these matters leaks a little at a time and never without purpose.

The distribution of bids between automatic qualifiers and at-large teams remains on the table, according to the Friday reports.

“Sources cautioned that as long as the format is up for debate, all options will be considered but that “some things will be punted” until after the TV deal is done,” ESPN’s Friday report read in part. “It’s possible that CFP leaders will wait to see how the 12-team format unfolds this season, but sources have indicated they would like a resolution sooner than later.”

Bottom line: Who knows?

They’ll continue to meet in secret Zoom calls and hatch out a plan that’ll dictate how we spend our Decembers and Januarys to come.

What’s clear is the rich will get richer.

But at least they took one thumb off the scale in an apparent sacrifice to sanity.

Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.