The College Football Playoff could be headed for its biggest transformation yet. According to ESPN, the College Football Playoff and ESPN have reached a preliminary handshake agreement to expand the postseason from 12 to 24 teams beginning with the 2027 season.
Although the agreement still requires formal documentation and approval from the appropriate governing boards, the proposed expansion represents a significant step toward reshaping college football’s national championship picture.
The potential changes wouldn’t stop at expanding the playoff field. The new format could also eliminate Power Four conference championship games and move the start of the regular season up one week.
If approved, the changes would dramatically alter how programs compete for postseason positioning.
How the 24-Team Playoff Would Work
Under the proposed structure, the 24-team field would include 19 at-large selections, the four Power Four conference champions and the highest-ranked Group of Six team.
The top eight seeds would receive first-round byes before hosting playoff games in the following round. Teams seeded ninth through 16th would host opening-round games, creating additional opportunities for schools to play meaningful postseason football on their home campuses.
Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti, whose conference has strongly supported expansion, believes the format would preserve the importance of the regular season through a series of competitive incentives.
The proposed system would reward teams for finishing among the highest seeds while giving programs near the playoff cutoff additional motivation to improve their positioning.
Meanwhile, the traditional New Year’s Six bowls Rose, Sugar, Orange, Cotton, Fiesta and Peach are expected to remain part of the postseason, hosting quarterfinal and semifinal matchups. The national championship game would continue taking place in January.
Conference Championship Games Could Disappear
Perhaps the most controversial element of the proposal involves the possible elimination of Power Four conference championship games. For decades, those games have helped determine conference supremacy while generating substantial television revenue.
Removing them would represent a major philosophical change. Instead of competing for conference titles in an additional postseason game, programs could potentially shift their attention directly toward playoff preparation.
The proposal could also reduce the risk of injuries before the national championship tournament while opening additional room on the calendar. However, eliminating conference championship games would also remove some of college football’s most recognizable annual matchups.
ESPN Remains Central to Expansion
The proposed agreement would further strengthen ESPN’s relationship with the College Football Playoff. In March 2024, ESPN and the CFP agreed to a six-year, $7.8 billion media rights extension that secured the network’s exclusive broadcasting rights through the 2031-32 season.
The latest negotiations center on determining the additional value of expanding the postseason to 24 teams. ESPN and the CFP entered a 30-day negotiating window on September 9. Although that window closed October 9, discussions continued and reportedly produced the preliminary agreement. The amended framework is expected to cover five years through 2031.
A New Era for College Football
College football expanded its playoff from four teams to 12 beginning with the 2024 season. Now, just a few seasons later, the sport is preparing for another potentially historic change.
A 24-team playoff would provide more programs with an opportunity to compete for a national championship while creating additional high-stakes games throughout December. But it would also raise questions about the importance of regular-season results, player workloads and the future of conference championships.
For now, the agreement remains preliminary. If the remaining negotiations and approvals are completed, however, the 2027 season could introduce an entirely different road to college football’s national championship.
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Robert LaMar is a Deputy Editor for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
