The College Football Playoff and ESPN have agreed to expanding the playoffs from 12 to 24 teams, starting in 2027.
“We will make the 24-team Playoff spectacular for the fans, student-athletes, their institutions and all our stakeholders,” CFP Executive Director Rich Clark said on Monday. “That is our commitment.”
In 2024, the playoff field expanded for the first time from four to 12 teams, tweaking the rules in each of the three years in the current format. 2026 will be the last year of the 12-team playoff.
“The decision to expand was driven by a desire to increase opportunities for FBS programs, student-athletes and fan bases to participate in the Playoff and have a chance to play for the CFP National Championship,” the CFP said.
The new structure will feature 24 teams and 23 playoff games through five rounds of competition, with 16 of them being played on college campuses.
“Opening the Playoff to more programs, more student-athletes and more fan bases across the country is great for college football,” Chairman of the CFP Board of Managers, Dr. Mark Keenum said. “We look forward to seeing this expanded format come to life next season.”
The committee envisions the 24-team Playoff as a chance for teams to schedule tougher non-conference football games, requiring every Power 4 team (ACC, SEC, Big Ten, Big 12) to play at least 10 games against the power conferences or Notre Dame.
Most programs will play nine conference games and one non-conference game against a Power 4 opponent.
“New scheduling standards incentivize institutions to schedule more compelling non-conference matchups during the regular season,” the CFP said.
The first round will see seeds 9-24 compete in eight games, with the higher seeds hosting the lower ones. Round two would pit the eighth winners against seeds 1-8 with the higher seeds hosting.
Following will be the quarterfinals and then semifinals in different bowl games throughout, and then finishing with the National Championship.
The highest ranked seeds (1-8) need to win four straight games in order to win the national championship, whereas the rest of the field would need to win five.
The selection model will reportedly be a 19+4+1 model, meaning there will be 19 at-large teams, the four highest ranked conference winners, and the highest ranked group of six team.
In the new 24-team format, the ACC, SEC, Big Ten and Big 12 eliminated their conference championship games. The regular season champion of each Power Four conference will receive an automatic bid into the CFP.
ESPN will be the exclusive media rights holder of the CFP, including the selection show, weekly Top 25 rankings shows and every playoff game through the 2031-32 season.
The decision itself to expand the Playoff has become an unpopular opinion amongst college football fans.
Many believe there aren’t 12 playoff teams in a given season — let alone 24 — and allowing 9-3 and 8-4 programs into the CFP dilutes the regular season and the marquee matchups that can decide a season.
“We’re lowering the stakes for about 30 extra games per year — featuring really good teams, no less — and we’re replacing that with higher stakes for lesser teams,” ESPN writer Bill Connelly said on Monday.
Despite the backlash that the CFP was aware of, the committee has decided to stick with the expansion.
“We’re aware of the fan sentiment, and that many fans aren’t in favor of expansion,” Clark said. “That was certainly weighed into the decision and it was considered. But ultimately, we just need to make a spectacular Playoff.”
