CFP nears 24-team expansion deal for 2027, ESPN reports

The College Football Playoff is nearing an agreement to double its field to 24 teams beginning in 2027, ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Heather Dinich reported Thursday. Final approvals are still required.

The current 2026 season remains under the 12-team format the CFP formally extended in January. Its championship game is scheduled for January 25, 2027, in Las Vegas.

ESPN reports that the proposed field would include 19 at-large selections, the four Power 4 conference champions and the highest-ranked Group of 6 team. The CFP has not announced an approved bracket.

Under the model described by ESPN, the top eight seeds would receive first-round byes and then host games. Teams seeded ninth through 16th would host the opening round. The report also says the change is expected to remove Power 4 conference championship games and bring the start of the season forward by a week.

The CFP’s most recent public statement on the negotiations, dated October 10, said conversations with ESPN were continuing after the exclusive 30-day window ended October 9. The organization described the talks as constructive but said their confidentiality limited what it could disclose. It did not announce an expansion agreement.

For teams playing this fall, the published rules still call for 12 participants: the designated conference champions and seven additional selections, with Notre Dame included if it finishes in the top 12. First-round games remain on campuses, followed by bowl-hosted quarterfinals and semifinals.

Sources

• ESPN: Thamel and Dinich report a deal is nearing
• CFP: October 10 statement on continuing negotiations
• CFP: Current 12-team format extended through 2026–27

Sources

ESPN: Sources say24-team CFPdeal is nearing · CFP: October10talks statement · CFP: Current2026-27format