The CFP is set to add 12 more spots for a total of 24 teams in 2027.
ESPN, the current rights holder for the College Football Playoff, says a deal is on the way for a CFP expanded to 24 teams in 2027.
ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel first broke the news Thursday afternoon that has seemed inevitable for a while now. ESPN had recently had a negotiating window to secure the rights to the extra games, and Thamel reports that ESPN looks to have achieved just that.
ESPN’s report says the 24-team Playoff is expected to nix conference championship games.
“The CFP and ESPN have been negotiating a new deal for the network to be its continued broadcast partner, leading to a seismic move for the postseason that is also expected to eliminate the lucrative Power 4 conference championship games and start the season a week earlier,” ESPN wrote. “While final details have yet to be announced, discussions about the 24-team field have included 19 at-large bids, the Power 4 conference champions as determined by each league, plus the highest-ranked Group of 6 team.
“The New Year’s Six bowls (Rose, Fiesta, Sugar, Peach, Orange, and Cotton) are expected to still host the quarterfinals and semifinals with the national championship game remaining in January.”
ESPN’s story cited a structure proposed by Big Ten commissioner Tony Pettiti for the field:
“Under the proposed plan, teams seeded No. 1 through 8 earn a first-round bye followed by a home game. (The No. 1 seed would face the winner of No. 16 vs. No. 17, and the No. 2 seed would face the winner of No. 15 vs. No. 18). Teams hovering around No. 17 and No. 18 are trying to move up so they can host a first-round home game (awarded to teams seeded No. No. 9-16), while teams at the bottom are constantly trying to stay in the field or protect their spot.”
Greg Sankey and the SEC were seen as the last holdouts for the added 12 teams to the CFP, but he recently threw his support behind it.
Sankey said that he wanted 10 games versus Power Conference foes or Notre Dame to be a requirement for Power 4 schedules.
The ACC already has that mandate in place with the new nine-game conference schedule.
The Playoff expanded to 12 teams in 2024 and will feature 12 teams again this December.
Sources: The College Football Playoff is nearing a deal to expand to 24 teams, per sources. The new format will start in 2027 and is expected to come together in the near future, pending final approvals.
The CFP is finalizing a deal with ESPN to purchase the additional games through the 2031 college football season, which is the same length as ESPN’s current deal.
Bye bye (a lot of) bowl games https://t.co/ssJVVD1oGw
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) October 15, 2026
