The College Football Playoff will double to 24 teams starting next season, ending the era of conference title games, college leaders announced Monday after ESPN agreed to rework its contract to add 11 new games.
The new format, approved by the Southeastern and Big Ten conferences, will have five automatic qualifiers, the champions of the Power Four leagues and the best-ranked team from the Group of Six conferences, with the other 19 teams chosen by a selection panel. The top eight seeds receive first-round byes, and the playoff begins the second weekend in December with campus-site first- and second-round games.
ESPN said the deal is for five years at an additional $1.7 billion, on top of the $7.8 billion contract that runs through the 2031 season. Terms were not announced. The revenue from the new games will presumably make up for the estimated $345 million the Power Four conference title games were worth; ESPN would then not be on the hook for $140 million of the extra money due to cancellation of the title games, the network reported.
“Opening the playoff to more programs, more student-athletes and more fan bases across the country is great for college football,” said Mississippi State president Mark Keenum, chair of the CFP board. “We look forward to seeing this expanded format come to life next season.” The first final for the 24-team field remains set for Jan. 24, 2028, in New Orleans. Traditional bowl games will still host quarterfinal and semifinal rounds.
The expansion requires Power Four teams to play at least 10 “qualifying” regular-season games against conference opponents, other Power Four teams or Notre Dame. Group of Six teams must play 10 games against conference foes and a mix of Group of Six teams, Notre Dame and other independents. The agreement guarantees two off weeks during a regular season that will begin the week before Labor Day.
Notre Dame receives no guaranteed spot, unlike this year’s 12-team format, where it qualifies if ranked in the top 12.
This is the second expansion since the playoff launched in 2014 as a four-team event. After moving to 12 in 2024, many expected a cap at 16, the Southeastern Conference’s preference. The Big Ten pushed for a larger field while the SEC balked, concerned about its league title game, a property it invented in 1992, and the appeal of games featuring third- and fourth-place teams from power conferences. ESPN’s revised contract resolved the financial hurdle.
Critics see a risk in giving more power to a selection committee that has struggled with four- and 12-team brackets, pointing to the exclusion of Florida State in 2023 and Notre Dame last season. Skeptics also view the expanded playoff as watering down a regular season largely seen as one of the most important in sports, replacing potential conference title matchups like Alabama vs. Georgia with a 13 seed vs. 20 seed game such as Kentucky vs. South Carolina. But Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti argued from the start that a postseason offering hope to bubble teams and keeping others vying for byes or home-field advantage will bring more attention to the end of the regular season.
The traditional Army-Navy game will be played on the first weekend in December, the former slot for conference title games.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Fans will see a dramatically longer postseason, 24 teams instead of 12, starting next year, with campus-site games and more second-tier teams.
- The elimination of conference title games ends a three-decade tradition that generated billions for leagues and shaped championship races.
- The financial model shifts: more playoff games mean more money for conferences and ESPN, but the value of regular-season games could change as more teams make the playoff field.
Background
The College Football Playoff began in 2014 with a four-team format, expanded to 12 in 2024 and now jumps to 24. The Southeastern Conference invented the league title game in 1992 and built a lucrative model that the Big Ten and others copied. The Power Four conferences, SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC, control the playoff, with Group of Six leagues playing a smaller role. Notre Dame remains an independent.
What to Watch
- How the selection committee handles a 24-team bracket, given past controversies (Florida State in 2023, Notre Dame last season).
- Whether regular-season games retain their urgency with more than a third of Power Four teams potentially making the playoff.
- The impact on Group of Six schools: will they gain access beyond the one automatic qualifier, or be squeezed further?
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
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- SupportedThe College Football Playoff is expanding to 24 teams and conference title games are ending.Chicago Sun-Times: “The College Football Playoff will double in size to 24 teams beginning next year, bringing an end to a three-decade era of conference title games”
- SupportedThe new format begins next season.Chicago Sun-Times: “The College Football Playoff will double in size to 24 teams beginning next year”
- SupportedCollege leaders announced the format on Monday after ESPN agreed to rework its contract to add 11 games.Chicago Sun-Times: “College leaders announced the new format Monday, after ESPN agreed to rework its contract to add the 11 new games.”
- SupportedThe Southeastern and Big Ten conferences approved the change.Chicago Sun-Times: “Both the Southeastern and Big Ten conferences, whose approval was needed to adopt this change”
- SupportedThe format has five automatic qualifiers: the Power Four champions and the best-ranked Group of Six team; a selection panel chooses the other 19 teams.Chicago Sun-Times: “The new format will have five automatic qualifiers — the champions of the Power Four leagues and the best-ranked team in the smaller Group of Six conferences — with the other 19 teams being chosen by a selection panel.”
- SupportedESPN's deal is for five years and an additional $1.7 billion, on top of a $7.8 billion contract running through the 2031 season.Chicago Sun-Times: “ESPN said it was a deal for five years and additional $1.7 billion, on top of the $7.8 billion contract that runs through the 2031 season.”
- SupportedThe new games are expected to make up for an estimated $345 million in Power Four conference title-game value, and ESPN would avoid $140 million of extra payments because of the cancellations, according to the network.Chicago Sun-Times: “The revenue generated from the new games will presumably make up for the estimated $345 million the Power Four conference title games were worth. ESPN would then not be on the hook for $140 million of the extra money due to cancellation of the title games, the network reported.”
- SupportedMark Keenum said, “Opening the playoff to more programs, more student-athletes and more fan bases across the country is great for college football.”Chicago Sun-Times: “"Opening the playoff to more programs, more student-athletes and more fan bases across the country is great for college football," said Mississippi State president Mark Keenum”
- SupportedThe first final for the 24-team playoff is set for Jan. 24, 2028, in New Orleans.Chicago Sun-Times: “The first final for the 24-team playoff remains set for Jan. 24, 2028, in New Orleans.”
- SupportedPower Four teams must play at least 10 qualifying regular-season games against conference foes, other Power Four opponents and Notre Dame.Chicago Sun-Times: “the CFP is requiring Power Four teams to play at least 10 "qualifying" regular-season games against conference foes, other Power Four opponents and Notre Dame.”
- SupportedNotre Dame has no guaranteed spot in the new format, unlike the 12-team format in which it qualifies if ranked in the top 12.Chicago Sun-Times: “Notre Dame does not receive any guarantees, the way it does this year if it's ranked in the top 12 for what will be the last year of the 12-team postseason.”
- SupportedThe first two playoff rounds will be played on campus, beginning on the second weekend in December.Chicago Sun-Times: “the playoff will start on the second weekend in December, with the first two rounds of games on campus.”