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Huffman Sports Wire — Breaking News Thursday, October 15, 2026
College Football Playoff Nearing Deal to Expand to 24 Teams Starting in 2027
The College Football Playoff is nearing a deal to expand from 12 teams to 24 teams starting in the 2027 season, according to reports released on Thursday. The expansion has not been officially announced, and the reports describe the agreement as expected to come together in the near future pending final approvals. ESPN is finalizing a deal for the additional games through the 2031 season, the same end point as its current playoff media rights agreement.
The proposed field would include 19 at-large bids, the 4 Power 4 conference champions as determined by each league, and the highest-ranked Group of 6 program. The top 8 seeds would receive a first-round bye and would then host a game in the next round. Seeds 9 through 16 would host first-round games on campus.
Separate reporting on the format places the first 2 rounds on campus sites, with the quarterfinals, semifinals, and national championship game on neutral sites. The New Year's Six bowl games are still expected to host the quarterfinals and semifinals, and the national championship game would remain in January. Final details of the format have not been announced.
The change is expected to eliminate the Power 4 conference championship games and to start the regular season a week earlier. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti has been the driving force behind the 24-team model, while Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey initially lobbied for a 16-team playoff. The current 12-team format has been in place since the 2024 season after the playoff used a 4-team field from 2014 through 2023.
A move to 24 teams would make this season the final season under the 12-team format, with the expanded field taking effect the following year if the final approvals are completed. ESPN and the College Football Playoff agreed in March 2024 to a 6-year deal worth 7.8 billion dollars that keeps ESPN as the media rights holder through the 2031-32 season. The reported expansion would double the playoff field only 3 seasons after it tripled in size from 4 teams to 12 teams.
Sources: - [theScore](https://beta.thescore.com/ncaaf/news/3625144/report-college-football-playoff-nearing-deal-to-expand-to-24-teams) - [TSN](https://www.tsn.ca/ncaa/football/article/report-cfp-nearing-deal-for-24-team-format-in-27-n1-50190410/) - [On3](https://www.on3.com/news/how-would-expanded-24-team-college-football-playoff-be-seeded/) - [Yardbarker](https://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/report_cfp_nearing_deal_to_expand_to_24_teams_in_2027/s1_17047_44432873) - [Eleven Warriors](https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2026/10/164598/cfp-nearing-deal-to-expand-playoffs-to-24-teams-beginning-in-2027)