College Football Playoff Nearing Deal to Expand to 24 Teams

SAN ANGELO, TX — The College Football Playoff is nearing an agreement to expand its field to 24 teams in 2027, with a deal expected in the near future pending final approvals, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

The proposed expansion is part of ongoing negotiations between the CFP and ESPN, its broadcast partner, and is also expected to eliminate the Power 4 conference championship games and move the start of the season up one week.

Discussions have included 19 at-large bids, the four Power 4 conference champions and the highest-ranked Group of 6 team. Final details have not been announced.

Under the proposed format, the top eight seeds would receive first-round byes and then host games in the next round. Teams seeded ninth through 16th would host first-round games, while teams seeded 17th through 24th would play on the road.

Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti, whose conference has led the push for a 24-team field, has rejected concerns that the expansion would diminish the regular season, citing what he described as “tiered incentives” that would reward teams for higher rankings.

The New Year’s Six bowls — the Rose, Fiesta, Sugar, Peach, Orange and Cotton — are still expected to host the quarterfinals and semifinals. The national championship game would remain in January.

The proposed change would come just two seasons after the playoff expanded from four teams to 12.

In March 2024, ESPN and the CFP agreed to a six-year, $7.8 billion contract that kept ESPN as the event’s sole media rights holder through the 2031-32 season.

ESPN and the CFP entered a 30-day negotiation window Sept. 9 to determine the value of a 24-team playoff. The window closed Oct. 9, but discussions continued through the week.