Rampant rumors of a forthcoming 24-team College Football Playoff (CFP) are reportedly becoming reality.
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, a deal to expand the current format from 12 to 24 could come as soon as the 2027 season.
The news comes as the College Football Playoff Committee and ESPN have reportedly come close to terms on a deal that would keep ESPN as the league’s exclusive broadcast partner in the expanded format. The deal would also eliminate the four conference championship games and start the season a week earlier.
“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, and the highest-ranked Group of 6 team,” according to Thamel and ESPN’s Heather Dinich.
“The New Year’s Six bowls (Rose, Fiesta, Sugar, Peach, Orange, and Cotton) are still expected to host the quarterfinals and semifinals, with the national championship game remaining in January.”
In addition, Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reports that, “If the CFP adopts the 24-team expansion deal with ESPN, it would come with a requirement that all P4 schools play at least 10 P4 games. Eleven schools do not meet that requirement in 2027.”
Concerns have abounded among college football coaches, administrators, and fans that an expanded format would devalue the regular season. However, Big 10 Commissioner Tony Petitti counters that claim, stressing that the 24-team format will use a tiered system that incentivizes high rankings based on regular-season results.
“Under the proposed plan, teams seeded Nos. 1 through 8 would earn a first-round bye followed by a home game. (The No. 1 seed would face the winner of No. 16 vs. No. 17; the No. 2 seed would face the winner of No. 15 vs. No. 18; and so on.) Teams hovering around No. 17 and No. 18 would want to move up so they can host a first-round home game (awarded to teams seeded Nos. 9-16), while teams at the bottom are constantly trying to stay in the field or protect their spot,” ESPN reports.
In March 2024, ESPN agreed with the CFP to be the tournament’s exclusive broadcast partner through the 2031-2032 season. Given the changes in the playoff format, most notably the tripling of the tournament from four teams to 12 just two years ago, ESPN and the CFP entered into a 30-day contract renegotiation on September 9.
Although the two sides did not reach an official agreement during the allotted 30-day period, they extended negotiations because of the progress they made.