The College Football Playoff will double to 24 teams beginning with the 2027 season, college leaders announced Monday, Nov. 9, ending championship games in the four largest conferences, WCVB reported. ESPN agreed to rework its contract to add 11 games.
Related: Florida State Beats Boston College 31-24 on Late 90-Yard Drive.
The money
The playoff did not announce terms, but ESPN said the deal covers five years and adds $1.7 billion to its $7.8 billion contract running through the 2031 season, according to WCVB. Yahoo Sports, citing ESPN’s Heather Dinich, reported the value at nearly $1.7 billion.
WCVB reported that the new games would presumably offset the estimated $345 million that Power Four title games were worth.
How the field works
Five spots will be automatic. They go to the champions of the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC, plus the highest-ranked team from the American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12 or Sun Belt, Yahoo Sports reported. A selection committee will fill the other 19 spots from its final ranking.
The top eight seeds will receive first-round byes. The playoff will begin on the second weekend of December, with the first two rounds played on campus, according to WCVB. Bowl games will host the quarterfinals and semifinals. The first 24-team final is set for Jan. 24, 2028, in New Orleans.
Notre Dame will no longer receive the guarantee it holds this season if it ranks in the top 12, WCVB reported. This season is the last under the 12-team format.
Changes to the regular season
Power Four teams must play at least 10 qualifying regular-season games against conference opponents, other Power Four teams or Notre Dame, according to WCVB. The agreement guarantees two off weeks in a regular season that will begin the week before Labor Day. The Army-Navy game will move to the first weekend of December, once reserved for conference title games.
The change also reaches Chestnut Hill. Boston College plays in the ACC, one of the four leagues giving up its title game.
Supporters and critics
Mississippi State President Mark Keenum, who chairs the playoff’s board, called the expansion “great for college football,” according to WCVB. Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti has argued that a larger field gives bubble teams hope and draws more viewers late in the season, WCVB reported.
Former Alabama coach Nick Saban has criticized the plan. “There’s not 24 teams in the country that can win the national championship,” he said on the “New Heights” podcast, according to Yahoo Sports. The SEC resisted the move until October, Yahoo Sports reported.
What happens next
The second College Football Playoff rankings of this season are scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 10, between 9 and 9:30 p.m. ET, according to Yahoo Sports. More coverage is on our College Sports page, including Notre Dame’s 31-24 win over No. 1 Miami.
Sources
- WCVB: College Football Playoff doubles up, expands to 24 teams beginning next season
- Yahoo Sports: ACC, SEC will eliminate football title games as part of new 24-team playoff
- Yahoo Sports: College Football Playoff to expand to 24 teams
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