Over the last few months, it’s become increasingly apparent that the NCAA was headed towards a 24-team playoff in college football. And on Thursday, ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Heather Dinich reported that the College Football Playoff is nearing a deal to expand the field to 24 teams in 2027.
“The CFP and ESPN have been negotiating a new deal for the network to be its continued broadcast partner, leading to a seismic move for the postseason that is also expected to eliminate the lucrative Power 4 conference
championship games and start the season a week earlier,” the duo wrote.
“While final details have yet to be announced, discussions about the 24-team field have included 19 at-large bids, the Power 4 conference champions as determined by each league and the highest-ranked Group of 6 team. The New Year’s Six bowls (Rose, Fiesta, Sugar, Peach, Orange and Cotton) are still expected to host the quarterfinals and semifinals, with the national championship game remaining in January.”
It’s a seismic, but expected change in college football that was pushed forward initially by Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti. Now, under the new format, teams seeded Nos. 1 through 8 would earn a first-round bye followed by a home game. Seeds 9-24 would play in the first round on the campus of the higher seed as well.
The format change comes just two years after the College Football Playoff tripled from four to 12 teams, which has been a success, but also controversial. However, this new move is certainly questionable for the product of college football.
Now, one could argue this could be beneficial for a team like the Wisconsin Badgers, whose annual chances to reach the College Football Playoff have significantly grown now. But it also increases the pressure on the program to be a regular contender, and the same goes for many Power 4 schools across the country.
The main detractor for the proposed model is that the regular season could become more devalued, as each loss isn’t as impactful as it was under both the 4 and 12-team playoff. Ultimately, this move is primarily based on financials with the growing amount of money being fueled into the sport with NIL. As roster spending has significantly increased, the 24-team field now keeps more teams in the mix, serving as a reason to justify the spending for programs.
We’ll see ultimately what happens, but the change is expected to happen for the 2027 season.
