The College Football Playoff management committee unanimously approved expanding the postseason format to 24 teams starting with the 2027-28 season, anchored by a new five-year media rights agreement with ESPN worth nearly $1.7 billion, according to an official announcement from the College Football Playoff.
ESPN reporter Heather Dinich first reported the financial terms of the five-year deal, which secures the network as the exclusive worldwide rightsholder for the expanded 24-team tournament through the 2031-32 season, as detailed by Sports Illustrated. The agreement adds 11 new games to the postseason schedule and eliminates conference championship games across the Power Four leagues.
The five-year agreement arrives on top of an existing six-year, $7.8 billion contract signed in March 2024 that runs through the 2031-32 season, with ESPN paying an average of $1.3 billion annually under that previous arrangement.
The CFP and ESPN have agreed on a five-year, nearly $1.7 billion deal that will expand the field to 24 teams in 2027 with ESPN as its continued broadcast partner, sources told ESPN, a seismic move that also eliminates the lucrative Power 4 conference championship games.
The expanded field incorporates an average of $345 million per year across the five-year span, though the network’s actual expenditure remains lower because it receives approximately $140 million annually back from owning the Southeastern Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, and Big 12 championship games, bringing its net cost for the new inventory to roughly $205 million.
How the 24-Team Playoff Field Is Structured
The 24-team field utilizes a 19+4+1 model. The structure guarantees automatic bids for the four conference champions from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC, alongside the highest-ranked team from the American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12, or Sun Belt, with the remaining 19 spots filled by at-large selections from the final CFP Selection Committee rankings, according to CBS Sports.
From the CFP about the 24-team field, beginning with the 2027 season. pic.twitter.com/OerkKOWKv4
The top eight seeds earn first-round byes and host second-round games on their respective campuses. Seeds 9 through 16 host first-round games against seeds 17 through 24 on the Thursday through Saturday of the opening playoff weekend. The Cotton, Fiesta, Orange, Peach, Rose, and Sugar bowls will continue to host the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds.
As part of the structural adjustments tied to the expansion, the CFP requires Power Four teams to play a minimum of 10 qualifying regular-season games against conference foes, other Power Four opponents, and Notre Dame. The annual Army-Navy game originally scheduled for December 11, 2027, was moved to December 4 to accommodate the new calendar.
The College Football Playoff, at last, announces an agreement with TV partner ESPN to expand the postseason to 24 teams starting in 2027, a long-awaited move that was expected since commissioners entered into the exclusive negotiating window with the network in September.
Conference Championships Conclude
The move effectively terminates a three-decade era of conference title games, with the Southeastern Conference announcing that its 2026 event will be the final edition. The decision coincides with the College Football Playoff’s expansion to a 24-team format,
the Southeastern Conference stated in its formal announcement.
Big Ten Kerry Kenny noted that the league plans to use the first weekend of December in Indianapolis to celebrate the history of its championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium before the format shift takes effect, as reported by IndyStar. The Heisman Trophy ceremony is moving up a week to the first weekend of December for the 2027 calendar.
CFP Leadership Expresses Confidence in the Transition
CFP executive director Rich Clark expressed confidence in the transition. We will make the 24-team Playoff spectacular for the fans, student-athletes, their institutions and all our stakeholders,
Clark said in a statement published by the College Football Playoff.
Mississippi State president and CFP board chair Mark Keenum also endorsed the change. Opening the playoff to more programs, more student-athletes and more fan bases across the country is great for college football,
Keenum said, as noted by WJLA.
The College Football Playoff has officially announced that it's expanding to 24 teams via a revamped deal with ESPN. As we previously reported: – First and second round games on-campus – No CFP game overlapping with Army-Navy Official release here:https://t.co/DLUjEIQYL4
Criticism Over Field Size
The expansion has drawn sharp criticism from figures within the sport regarding the dilution of the regular season. Former Alabama coach Nick Saban voiced strong opposition to the size of the new bracket during an appearance on the New Heights
podcast, as cited by The Courier-Journal.
There’s not 24 teams in the country that can win a National Championship. So, what is the reason to actually do it? It’s about the money. What you’re giving up, which I hate to see, the SEC Championship Game, playing in the SEC Championship was a big thing for our players, it was a big thing to our fans. It was a tradition and it was a great venue.
Nick Saban, former Alabama coach
The national championship game for the inaugural 24-team playoff is scheduled for January 24, 2028, in New Orleans, with the following season’s final set for January 22, 2029, in Tampa Bay, according to Sports Illustrated.
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