College Football Playoff, ESPN Agree to $1.7 Billion Deal to Expand Field to 24 Teams in 2027

Twenty Four Team Playoff Begins in 2027

The College Football Playoff is expanding to 24 teams beginning in 2027 after the CFP and ESPN agreed to a new five-year, $1.7 billion agreement that will keep ESPN as the postseason’s exclusive broadcast partner. The historic change will reshape the college football postseason, alter the regular-season schedule and eliminate the lucrative Power 4 conference championship games. Under the new agreement, the 24-team playoff field will consist of 19 at-large selections, the four Power 4 conference champions and the highest-ranked Group of 6 conference champion.

Notre Dame will no longer receive a guaranteed playoff spot if it fails to earn an at-large bid based on its ranking. The expanded playoff will begin during the second weekend of December 2027, with the national championship game scheduled for Jan. 24, 2028, in New Orleans. The new format represents another major postseason expansion just two seasons after the playoff grew from four teams to 12.

New 24 Team Playoff Format and Selection Process

The expanded field will feature eight first round byes, awarded to the eight highest-seeded teams. Teams seeded Nos. 9-16 will host first-round games on their home campuses against teams seeded Nos. 17-24. The higher seed will also host games during the second round, giving the top eight teams a bye and a home game in their opening appearance. The College Football Playoff selection committee will continue ranking its top 25 teams to determine the field.

The committee could also expand its weekly rankings to 30 teams, allowing fans and programs to get a better understanding of which teams are on the playoff bubble. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti, whose conference has been a driving force behind the 24-team model, has pushed back against concerns that expanding the playoff will diminish the importance of the regular season. Petitti has pointed to the format’s tiered incentives, which reward teams for earning higher seeds.

The top eight teams receive first-round byes and home-field advantages, while the top two seeds receive what conference officials describe as the best path through the playoff. The No. 1 seed would face the winner of the No. 16 versus No. 17 matchup, while the No. 2 seed would play the winner of the No. 15 versus No. 18 game. Teams around the Nos. 9-16 positions will compete for the opportunity to host a first-round game, while teams near the bottom of the rankings will be fighting to secure or protect their place in the field.

Power 4 Conference Championship Games Eliminated

One of the most significant changes under the new agreement will be the elimination of the Power 4 conference championship games. The SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC are expected to determine their conference champions through regular-season standings and their established tiebreaking procedures. The move will eliminate four major events from the college football calendar, including the SEC, Big Ten and Big 12 championship games, as well as the ACC title game.

The New Year’s Six bowls will remain part of the postseason, with the Rose, Fiesta, Sugar, Peach, Orange and Cotton bowls hosting the quarterfinals and semifinals. The national championship game will continue to be played in January.

Army-Navy Game Moves to December 4

The expanded playoff will also bring changes to the college football calendar. The regular season will begin during what is commonly known as Week Zero, the week before Labor Day, and conclude on Thanksgiving weekend. The Army-Navy game will move to what was previously conference championship weekend, with a standalone television window scheduled for Dec. 4, 2027. Playoff-bound teams will have that weekend off before the postseason begins.

The Heisman Trophy ceremony is also expected to take place later that evening, according to sources. The existing Army-Navy policy will remain in place under the expanded format. If Army or Navy qualifies for the 24-team playoff and subsequently loses its annual rivalry game, that result will not affect the team’s College Football Playoff standing.

ESPN’s $1.7 Billion Agreement and Financial Breakdown

The five-year agreement is worth approximately $1.7 billion, according to sources who spoke with ESPN. The network will remain the exclusive media rights holder of the College Football Playoff, although it will have the ability to sublicense six of the 12 additional playoff games to approved media partners for exclusive distribution. ESPN will pay an additional average of $345 million annually over the next five years for the expanded playoff.

However, the network will effectively pay approximately $205 million of that amount after accounting for the cancellation of conference championship games. ESPN currently owns the television rights to the SEC, Big 12 and ACC championship games, allowing the network to recover approximately $140 million annually through their elimination. Fox, which owns the television rights to the Big Ten championship game, is expected to recover approximately $50 million annually. The additional playoff payments will be added to the average of approximately $1.3 billion ESPN is already scheduled to pay annually during that period.

In March 2024, ESPN and the College Football Playoff agreed to a six year, $7.8 billion contract that secured the network’s exclusive media rights through the 2031-32 season. On Sept. 9, ESPN and the CFP entered a 30 day negotiation window to determine the financial value of expanding the playoff to 24 teams. That window closed Oct. 9. The new agreement establishes the financial framework for the expanded postseason while keeping ESPN in control of the event’s primary broadcast distribution.

A New Era for College Football

The move to a 24-team College Football Playoff will fundamentally change the sport’s postseason structure, creating additional opportunities for programs across the country while eliminating conference championship games and reshaping the regular season schedule.

With 19 at large selections, automatic opportunities for the four Power 4 champions and a guaranteed place for the highest-ranked Group of 6 champion, the new format will significantly broaden the national championship picture.

The first 24-team playoff is scheduled to begin in December 2027, with the national championship game set for Jan. 24, 2028, in New Orleans. College football is preparing for another major transformation as the sport enters a new era of postseason competition.