The College Football Playoff is nearing a deal to double in size from 12 to 24 teams, a move that would reshape the sport’s postseason from the 2027 season. The new format is pending final approvals, according to reports on Thursday.
The playoff has used a 12-team format since the 2024 season, after a decade in which just four teams contested the national title. Under the proposed 24-team plan, the top eight seeds would receive first-round byes, with seeds 9 through 16 hosting seeds 17 through 24 before the winners travel to face the top eight. The quarterfinals and semifinals are expected to stay with the New Year’s Six bowl games, and the championship game would remain in January.
What the new format changes
Expansion talks began formally in September, when the playoff’s management committee opened a media rights discussion with its broadcast partner, and discussions continued this week. In a statement, the playoff said the conversations had been constructive and productive, promising updates when appropriate. Reports suggest the tournament would award 19 at-large bids, include the four Power 4 conference champions and the highest-ranked Group of 6 programme, and could eliminate conference championship games while starting the season a week earlier.
Money, power and the 24-team push
The push reflects both money and politics. The playoff’s media rights are held through the 2031 season under a six-year, $7.8 billion contract signed in 2024, and a bigger tournament means more games to sell. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has favoured a 16-team field, while Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti has backed 24 teams from the start — a divide that mirrors the conferences’ competing views on how power should be shared. The playoff’s leaders spent months weighing the pros and cons before the September move to formal talks.
For fans, the trade-off is familiar: more meaningful December football and a genuine route for programmes outside the traditional elite, set against fears of a diluted regular season where early defeats no longer end title hopes. October sport is already delivering win-or-go-home drama on the baseball diamond, and the WNBA’s postseason has shown how extended playoffs reward momentum. Nothing is final, but the momentum behind 24 teams suggests college football’s postseason is about to get much bigger — again.
