The College Football Playoff is doubling up.
After what will be just three years of having a 12-team CFB Playoff, the field is being expanded to 24 teams beginning in 2027.
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Signs have long been pointing to an expansion, but now the final piece of the puzzle has all but fallen into place with ESPN reportedly jumping on board; this drastic change to the sport is taking shape in a hurry.
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The Indiana Hoosiers lift the trophy after the College Football Playoff National Championship between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Miami Hurricanes. (Photo by CFP/Getty Images) (CFP/Getty Images)
Sources have confirmed with OutKick’s Trey Wallace that a meeting between representatives from ESPN and the College Football Playoff will take place on Thursday, in which a deal will be finalized between the two that will see ESPN purchase the additional games that come with the expanded tournament. ESPN’s current deal to broadcast the College Football Playoff runs through 2031.
The ESPN logo is displayed at the top of a building in L.A. (Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images) (Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images)
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With the addition of Playoff games, it is safe to assume that 2026 will be the final year we see conference championship games played across Power Four and Group of Six conferences. Additionally, fewer bowl games will take place beginning in 2027.
Sources also confirmed with Wallace that the 24-team Playoff bracket will feature 19 at-large bids, with one auto bid going to each of the Power Four conferences and the fifth and final auto bid going to a Group of Six team.
One of the more intriguing wrinkles of the expanded Playoff is that the first two rounds of the postseason tournament will, according to sources, be played on campuses.
The College Football Playoff logo is seen on an end zone pylon during the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the VRBO Fiesta Bowl between the Ole Miss Rebels and the Miami Hurricanes. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) (Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
As noted by Wallace in early October, the SEC and Big Ten, the two most powerful conferences in the sport, were the final two entities to come to a decision on the expansion. ESPN owns the television rights to the SEC, while the Big Ten is under contract with FOX, which could make for an interesting dynamic behind the scenes.
Aside from this move likely signaling the end of conference title games, it could signal a new era in the Big Ten with teams having to commit to more difficult non-conference games. Sources tell Wallace that Big Ten teams could be mandated to add a Power Four opponent to the calendar.
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The SEC made a proactive move ahead of this current college football season by moving to a nine-game conference schedule.