The biggest change in the College Football Playoff’s 2027-28 season will be its scale: 24 teams will compete in 23 games, with much of the early-round action played on campus. The CFP Management Committee unanimously approved the expansion, which also brings a new postseason calendar and the end of conference championship games.
This season’s playoff remains unchanged: the 2026-27 CFP will use the current 12-team format, according to TigerNet. The 2027 field will include the SEC, Big Ten, ACC and Big 12 champions, the highest-ranked Group of Six team and 19 at-large selections. The top eight seeds will receive first-round byes and host second-round games; seeds 9 through 16 will host first-round matchups against seeds 17 through 24.
The new field marks the CFP’s second expansion in three seasons. The playoff began with four teams in 2014 and grew to 12 in 2024, according to Yahoo Sports. The first 24-team national championship is scheduled for Jan. 24, 2028, in New Orleans.
Conference Championship Games Are Going Away
The calendar will change along with the field. The SEC has announced it will end its conference championship game, with the ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten announcing afterward, The Athletic reported. The first weekend in December, when those games have been held, will instead be set aside for Army-Navy; the playoff is scheduled to begin the following weekend, according to NBC 7 San Diego.
CFP board chair Mark Keenum, the Mississippi State president, described the expansion as a way to bring more programs, student-athletes and fan bases into the playoff, NBC 7 San Diego reported. Keenum said he looked forward to the format’s debut.
ESPN Locks Up Exclusive Rights — With Dueling Price Tags
ESPN will carry all 23 games as the playoff’s exclusive worldwide rightsholder, TigerNet reports. The network is revising its existing contract to cover 11 additional games; NBC 7 San Diego reports the change adds $1.7 billion and brings the deal’s total value to $7.8 billion, citing ESPN. Reports differ on the end date: Forbes says the agreement runs through 2031-32, while Yahoo Sports says the deal for the additional games lasts through 2031.
The financial estimates tied to the departing conference title games do not align neatly. NBC 7 San Diego, citing ESPN, reports that the network will not owe $140 million in additional payments tied to their cancellation. The Associated Press estimated the Power Four title games’ value at $345 million. CBS Sports, by contrast, reported CFP executives were expected to seek about $70 million to $80 million above the nearly $250 million combined value of the title-game rights. NBC 7 San Diego reports the added playoff games are expected to generate revenue that could make up for the lost title-game value.
Why Power Four Schools Are Pushing for More Spots
The expansion is also unfolding as schools face rising roster costs. NBC 7 San Diego reports that college football rosters can cost more than $50 million in an era shaped increasingly by name, image and likeness deals. Power Four conferences expect most of the new playoff places to go to their members, and believe the additional opportunities will encourage second-tier programs to keep spending to compete, the outlet reports.
A Separate Rule for Athlete Payments
The NCAA’s June 2025 House settlement guidance includes a section on roster limits and says institutions that opt in must ensure additional athlete payments and benefits comply with the settlement’s benefits cap and related rules, policies and procedures, according to NCAA guidance.
Notre Dame occupies an unusual spot in all of this. The independent program receives no guarantees in the new 24-team format, but this year — under the outgoing 12-team structure — it still has a guarantee if it's ranked in the top 12, according to NBC 7 San Diego.
A Playoff Built for Bigger TV Numbers
The expanded bracket follows a season of large playoff audiences. The 11-game playoff averaged 16.3 million viewers, while the national championship between Indiana and Miami drew 30.1 million across ESPN’s MegaCast presentation, according to Forbes. The new format guarantees five places for conference champions—the four Power Four winners and the top Group of Six team—leaving the committee to select 19 at-large teams. How it allocates those places will determine how much access mid-major and second-tier programs receive.
