While many college football fans are disappointed by the recent news, it was announced Monday that the College Football Playoff will expand to 24 teams in 2027, with conference championship games being eliminated.
ESPN and the CFP have agreed to a five-year deal worth nearly $1.7 billion. ESPN’s Pete Thamel
also reported that the network will pay an additional $345 million per year for the expanded 24-team playoff.“A formal agreement between the CFP and ESPN regarding future media rights in connection
with potential expansion is in the final stages of review by the CFP,” the Nov. 6 statement read. “A decision on the agreement will be made following this review. We will provide additional updates when appropriate.”
With the expansion, college football playoff games could be played on weeknights. On3 also reports that the first- and second-round games will continue to be played at campus sites. After that, teams will compete at bowl sites for the quarterfinals and beyond.
This is certainly good news for Kentucky fans, as the Wildcats will have a better opportunity to reach the College Football Playoff and potentially host a game at Kroger Field in the years to come. Kentucky head coach Will Stein even addressed the possibility earlier this season.
“Everybody says the (regular season) games aren’t going to matter. Really? I think that’s a really lame take, to be honest. As far as I know, every game in College Football is going to matter.”
He later added:
“You telling me you wouldn’t want a Playoff game at Kroger Field? I think those takes are bad.”
While plenty of fans, including some in Big Blue Nation, are unhappy with the changes, the expanded format will give Kentucky and other programs a greater opportunity to compete for a national championship in the years ahead.
However, one major downside for Kentucky fans is that the Wildcats no longer have the opportunity to win an SEC Championship through the conference title game. While the expanded playoff could create more opportunities for Kentucky, it also means saying goodbye to one of the biggest games on the SEC schedule.
