College Football Playoff will expand to 24 teams starting next season

The College Football Playoff (CFP) will expand to include 24 teams starting next season, marking a significant shift in the sport's long-standing traditions. The College Football Playoff and ESPN announced the expansion on Monday, with ESPN committing an additional $1.7 billion over five years to the existing $7.8 billion contract that extends through the 2031 season.

Under the new format, conference champions from the Power Four conferences will receive automatic spots, and one additional spot will be given to the best team from the Group of Six. The remaining 19 spots will be determined by a selection committee, which will be the latest decision-making body in college football's history of polls and opinions that have influenced teams' fates.

Approximately 30% of college football's 68 power-conference schools will have a chance to compete for the title, bringing the CFP closer to the NFL's playoff format, which allows 43% of its teams to participate. This significant expansion, however, brings about certain uncertainties. ESPN senior vice president Nick Dawson acknowledged that it is impossible to predict the impact of the new system on the regular-season games that might or might not hold more significance.

The revenue generated from the expanded playoff is expected to compensate for the $345 million that the Power Four conferences earned in TV money for their title games. Despite this, ESPN will not be responsible for the $140 million in additional revenue due to the cancellation of some title games.

The top eight seeds will receive first-round byes, and the playoff will commence on the second weekend of December. The traditional Army-Navy game will be moved to the first weekend of December, replacing the conference title games. Both the Southeastern and Big Ten conferences, along with the Power Four conferences, believe that the expanded playoff will provide new motivation for their second-tier teams.

Coach Barry Odom, who is rebuilding at Purdue, expressed optimism about the expanded playoff, stating that it will be healthy for teams like Purdue's, which are striving to reach that level. The first round of the 24-team playoff will take place in January 2028 in New Orleans. As for the remaining bowls, most of them, operated or televised by ESPN, have yet to make any decisions.

In addition to the expansion, the College Football Playoff is implementing new requirements for Power Four teams and Group of Six teams, mandating that they play at least 10 regular-season games against conference foes, other Power Four opponents, and Notre Dame. These requirements aim to ensure that all teams have a similar level of strength of schedule, which is expected to play a crucial role in the selection committee's decision-making process.