Sports · American Football · 31 mins ago
College Football Playoff expands to 24 teams for 2027 season
The College Football Playoff will expand to 24 teams in 2027, doubling its current 12-team field.
The playoff is the end-of-season competition to decide the US college football national champion.
The plan followed more than a year of debate, with the Big Ten pushing for 24 teams and the SEC initially favoring a smaller field.
The proposed selection model would include 19 at-large teams, four Power Four conference champions and the highest-rated Group of Six champion, though the format has not been officially announced.
The expansion will eliminate conference championship games, which have been important events and sources of revenue for conferences.
A larger playoff is intended to give more teams and their fans a chance to compete for the title.
The first- and second-round games are expected to be played on college campuses.
The College Football Playoff is set to expand to 24 teams for the 2027 season, according to sources cited by CBS Sports.
The change will eliminate conference championship games.
The field is expected to include 19 at-large teams, four Power Four champions and the highest-rated Group of Six champion, though the format has not been officially announced.
First- and second-round games are expected to be played on college campuses.
The expansion followed debate between the Big Ten, which backed a 24-team playoff, and the SEC, which initially favored a smaller field.
- Who
- The College Football Playoff will expand; the Big Ten and SEC were central to negotiations over its format.
- What
- The playoff is set to grow to 24 teams for the 2027 season. The move will eliminate conference championship games.
- When
- The 2027 season.
- Where
- Not stated
- Why
- The stated aim is to give more teams and fanbases access to the playoff and keep them invested in the playoff race and late-season games.
Big Ten
SEC
Preferred playoff size
Big Ten
The Big Ten pushed for a 24-team field.
SEC
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey favored a 12- or 16-team structure.
Conference championship games
Big Ten
The Big Ten’s preferred 24-team format would eliminate conference championship games.
SEC
Sankey favored a smaller structure that would preserve the SEC’s championship game.
The College Football Playoff debuted with a four-team format.
The playoff expanded to 12 teams.
CBS Sports reported that the ACC, Big 12 and SEC preferred a 16-team format.
The ACC and Big 12 preferred a 24-team playoff, leaving the SEC as the lone power-conference dissenter.
The Big Ten and SEC agreed to evaluate a larger bracket.
CBS Sports reported that the playoff would expand to 24 teams for the 2027 season.
- Playoff size
- 24 teams
- Expansion season
- 2027
- Proposed field
- 19 at-large bids, four Power Four champions and one highest-rated Group of Six champion
- Early-round sites
- First- and second-round games would be played on campuses
- Current format
- 12 teams
- Reported date
- November 9, 2026