College Football Playoff confirms 24-team expansion for 2027

The College Football Playoff will expand from 12 to 24 teams for the 2027 season after announcing a new agreement with ESPN on Monday. According to Yahoo Sports, the change will end Power Four conference championship games and remove the guaranteed playoff berth Notre Dame currently receives if it finishes among the selection committee's top 12.

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Sports Illustrated reported that ESPN's expanded rights agreement adds an average of $345 million annually over five years to its existing contract. ESPN remains the exclusive worldwide rights holder, while retaining the ability to sublicense selected games. The current six-year agreement, worth $7.8 billion, extends through the 2031-32 season.

Five places in the new field will be automatic. Sports Illustrated reported that the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC champions will qualify, alongside the highest-ranked team from the six other conferences. The remaining 19 berths will go to the highest-ranked teams still available in the committee's final rankings. Each Power Four league will determine how to identify its champion.

The bracket will give the eight highest seeds a first-round bye and a home game in the second round. Seeds nine through 16 will host the opening games against seeds 17 through 24. Sports Illustrated said the expanded competition will feature 16 campus games, compared with four under the 12-team system.

The calendar will change as well. Yahoo Sports, citing ESPN reporter Heather Dinich, said the 2027 season will begin the week before Labor Day and conclude its regular-season schedule on Thanksgiving weekend. Selection Day is set for November 28, with the national championship remaining on January 24, 2028. Army-Navy will retain a standalone window but move to the weekend previously occupied by Power Four title games.

Some decisions remain unresolved. Yahoo Sports cited On3 reporting that the Group of Six conferences had not decided whether to retain their championship games. It also reported that a larger weekly ranking was a possibility, rather than a confirmed change. The expansion follows the introduction of the 12-team playoff in 2024; the 2026 season will still use that format.