Are you ready for a 24-team College Football Playoff? No? You think that's a terrible idea?
Well, um, buckle up anyhow. ESPN's Pete Thamel reported on Thursday that the College Football Playoff "is nearing a deal to expand to 24 teams" by 2027 and "is expected to come together in the near future, pending final approvals."
Doubling in size from 12 to 24 is a dramatic change, one that's going to create some wonky results more akin to March Madness (albeit on a much smaller scale). Any given Saturday, we guess?
Just imagine this shift from the BCS days where only two teams got to contend for the national title. Putting 24 teams up for the College Football Playoff will undoubtedly create more avenues for contending teams. However, it also creates a logjam
that could quickly grow tedious as the playoff expands past what many people want.
Sources: The College Football Playoff is nearing a deal to expand to 24 teams, per sources. The new format will start in 2027 and is expected to come together in the near future, pending final approvals. pic.twitter.com/tRdVAiqKax
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 15, 2026
As you can imagine, college football fans were not thrilled about this major CFP development.
Sacrificed the best regular season in sports so that 8-4 Big Ten teams can lose by 13. Awesome stuff. https://t.co/seMFRzHIZq
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) October 15, 2026
Booooooooo https://t.co/WBGYZ32HYm
— Mike Golic Jr (@mikegolicjr) October 15, 2026
Even with near unanimous outrage and opposition from the fans, they’ve decided to expand. Disgusting. https://t.co/Qm01mCBGCI
— CFBudge (@CF_Budge) October 15, 2026
Goodbye Conference Championships & College Football regular season https://t.co/CUW4jL40Wy
— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) October 15, 2026
24 teams in the College Football Playoff is an absolute JOKE.
— CFBTalkDaily (@CFBTalkDaily) October 15, 2026
Nobody wants this.
You’re destroying what makes college football special. The regular season is supposed to MATTER. Not every team deserves a participation trophy.
Stop ruining the sport for money. https://t.co/00nEYAnjVn
It’s never been more over https://t.co/sgxGXPjmL9
— Ben Houselog (@benlikessport) October 15, 2026
going to mess up the best regular season in sports, take the stakes out of big games, and give us a bunch of 3 and 4 loss playoff teams 👍 https://t.co/mGQe9WXiTu
— Jessica Smetana (@jessica_smetana) October 15, 2026
“Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.”
— Ty Hildenbrandt (@tyhildenbrandt) October 15, 2026
- Dr. Ian Malcolm https://t.co/l3Rxeob4LX
Nasty work https://t.co/MsmDofsBFd
— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy) October 15, 2026
— Mitchell Schwartz (@MitchSchwartz71) October 15, 2026
We'll see how this actually all looks once 2027 rolls around.
So, this won't start this year?
No, this year will still just feature 12 teams.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Fans absolutely hate College Football Playoff 24-team expansion plans
