College Football Playoff expands to 24 teams
The gist
The College Football Playoff agreed a five-year ESPN deal worth nearly $1.7 billion to grow to 24 teams in 2027.
The bigger field ends conference title games and divides coaches over the regular season's value.
How it unfolded
- Sep 8, 2026CFP leaders agreed to open a 30-day negotiating window with ESPN, signaling interest in a 24-team field as soon as 2027; the CFP said this did not represent a decision or commitment to expand.
- Oct 15, 2026The CFP was "95 percent done" with an ESPN deal to expand to 24 teams next season, worth north of an additional $300 million a year, per two people familiar with the negotiations; final approvals were still required.
- Oct 29, 2026Jeff Choate, who coached in the four-team CFP in 2023, said he is concerned the planned expansion will devalue the regular season.
Key terms
- College Football Playoff
- An annual single-elimination tournament determining the national champion of NCAA Division I FBS college football.
- conference title games
- The annual championship game of the American Football Conference, one of the NFL's two semifinal playoff games, whose winner advances to the Super Bowl.
- Big Ten
- A major U.S. collegiate athletic conference, the oldest in NCAA Division I, originally named for its ten member universities.
Source: Wikipedia