College Football Playoff Expands to 24 Teams, Eliminates Conference Championship Games

The College Football Playoff (CFP) will expand to a 24-team format beginning next season, a significant shift that also includes the elimination of conference championship games starting in 2027. This expansion, coupled with a renewed broadcast rights deal with ESPN through 2032, aims to provide more access and excitement for a wider range of teams.

The new 24-team structure will feature five automatic bids, with the top eight teams receiving byes. Sixteen games are slated to be played on campus sites, a departure from the neutral-site format of the previous four-team playoff. This expansion necessitates considerable schedule adjustments for Power Four conferences, with teams now required to play 10 conference opponents, a change that has already prompted revisions for programs like Indiana and USC. ESPN is reportedly paying an additional $1.7 billion for the expanded broadcast rights.

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Sources

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  2. College Football Playoff bracket: What 12-team field would look like after second 2026 CFP rankings — CBS Sports,
  3. MAC commissioner shares thoughtful insight about CFP 24-team expansion — Yahoo Sports,
  4. College Football Playoff officially expanding to 24 teams in 2027, eliminating SEC Championship Game — Yahoo Sports,
  5. The College Football Playoff is expanding to 24 teams. What does it mean for WSU? — Yahoo Sports,
  6. College Football Playoff expansion to 24 teams is wrong, greedy and bad for the sport — Yahoo Sports,
  7. Steve Sarkisian: CFP expansion should encourage high-profile nonconference games — Yahoo Sports,
  8. ESPN Extends College Football Playoff Rights Through 2032; 24-Team Format Set For Next Season — Deadline,
  9. How the new 24-team College Football Playoff will work — Yahoo Sports,
  10. College Football Playoff expansion forces Indiana, USC and others to overhaul 2027 schedules — CBS Sports,
  11. Breaking down SEC's path to five or more College Football Playoff bids, multiple 9-3 selections — CBS Sports,
  12. The College Football Playoff will expand to 24 teams — The Washington Post Sports,
  13. 24-Team Playoff In College Football Starting In 2027-2028 — Yahoo Sports,
  14. College Football Playoff expanding to 24 teams: 2027 move has big impact on conference championships, Heisman — CBS Sports,
  15. College Football Playoff will double in size to 24 teams starting next year — The Guardian Sports,
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