College Football Playoff Moving Closer to 24-Team Format, DAZN Reports

The College Football Playoff is moving closer to a 24-team format, with executive leadership evaluating scheduling logistics and media rights negotiations ahead of a December decision deadline, DAZN reported.

CFP Officials Review ESPN Media Rights Talks

The CFP management committee met at Big Ten headquarters in Rosemont, Illinois, to review ongoing discussions with ESPN regarding media rights and revenue distribution for an expanded bracket, according to CBS Sports. Officials face an October 9 deadline for exclusive talks with ESPN before potentially taking an expanded package to the open market. A final vote on whether to adopt a 24-team model for the 2027–28 season must occur by December 1.

CFP executive director Rich Clark noted that while discussions are progressing, the expansion is not yet guaranteed for next year. I would say that there’s still a lot of things that we have to work through, and I would not call it a foregone conclusion at this point, Clark told CBS Sports. If logistical hurdles prevent a 2027 launch, the transition to 24 teams would be postponed until 2028.

Conference Leaders Seek Revenue to Offset Losses

The primary financial driver behind the push for 24 teams is recouping revenue lost from eliminating conference championship games. Conference leaders are seeking an additional revenue stream exceeding $200 million to offset those losses. Sources told CBS Sports that the SEC stands to lose approximately $100 million by dropping its championship game.

In late August, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey outlined conditions for a 24-team bracket in a memo to the management committee, requiring power-conference teams to play 10 games against power-conference opponents or Notre Dame to remain eligible. Meanwhile, Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne told Front Office Sports that stakeholders must carefully evaluate the impact on the regular season. Tenho a forte sensação de que estamos a caminhar para 24 [equipas]. Acho que temos de ser muito cuidadosos para garantir que a época regular continue a ter o valor que tem, Byrne said.

Bracket Structure and the Army-Navy Scheduling Hurdle

The emerging model under discussion features the top 23 teams from the CFP Selection Committee’s final rankings alongside the highest-ranked Group of Six team. Under this configuration, the first round would begin in the second December week, requiring eight campus games followed by eight second-round games, with the top eight teams receiving byes. This setup requires the elimination of traditional conference championship games.

Logistical conflicts also surround the traditional Army-Navy game, which is played on the second Saturday of December. Because the playoff schedule would overlap with this window, preliminary discussions have considered moving the service academy matchup to the first Saturday of December, though no official decision has been finalized with the academies.

Next Steps in the Selection Process

If terms are not met with ESPN by October 9, media rights negotiations will open to other networks as the sport weighs its largest postseason expansion to date.