College Football Playoff Officially Expands to 24 Teams in 2027, Ending Power Four Conference Title Games

The College Football Playoff is going to 24 teams. The CFP announced a unanimous decision today, Nov. 9, and the new format starts with the 2027 season.

The expansion comes with a new media rights agreement with ESPN. ESPN's Heather Dinich and Pete Thamel reported it as a five-year deal worth nearly $1.7 billion, adding roughly $345 million a year to the network's existing contract. That current deal is the six-year, $7.8 billion agreement signed in 2024, which has ESPN paying about $1.3 billion annually, according to Sports Illustrated. The CFP's own release did not disclose financial terms.

How the 24-team field works

The formula is "19+4+1": 19 at-large bids, four spots for Power Four conference champions as determined by each conference, and one for the highest-ranked Group of Six team.

The top eight seeds get first-round byes and host second-round games. Seeds 9 through 16 host first-round games against seeds 17 through 24. That makes 16 on-campus playoff games in all, played Thursday through Saturday of their weekends.

Quarterfinals and semifinals move to the New Year's Six bowl sites: the Rose, Fiesta, Sugar, Peach, Orange and Cotton. The national championship game is set for Monday, Jan. 24, 2028, in New Orleans.

ESPN will put at least three games from each of the first and second rounds on ABC, per the CFP's announced details.

The conference title games are done

The SEC said today that its Dec. 5, 2026 championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta will be the final edition. "The decision coincides with the College Football Playoff's expansion to a 24-team format," the conference said. It will be the 35th game since the series began in 1992.

The ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten games are also ending, according to sources who spoke to On3 and reporting from ESPN. The Group of Six conferences have not decided whether to keep theirs in 2027, On3's Brett McMurphy reported, citing sources.

The cost is real. CBS Sports put the SEC game's annual revenue near $100 million. Last year's Alabama-Georgia matchup averaged 16.9 million viewers, the seventh-most watched game of the season. Fox News reported ESPN agreed to cover the costs tied to eliminating the games.

The schedule changes

The season will start with "Week Zero," the week before Labor Day, and the final regular-season games are set for Saturday, Nov. 27, 2027. Teams are guaranteed two off weeks.

Power Four teams must play at least 10 qualifying games against conference opponents, other Power Four programs or Notre Dame. Group of Six teams face a similar 10-game standard. The CFP said the requirement is meant to incentivize "more compelling non-conference matchups."

CBS Sports reported that the Heisman ceremony will move up to the first weekend of December in 2027. Still undecided: how many teams the CFP committee will rank each week, and the date of Selection Day. CBS Sports and KIRO cited Nov. 28, 2027, but On3 listed it as to be announced.

Who wanted this, and who didn't

The Big Ten pushed for 24. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey publicly backed 16 teams before agreeing to the larger format, CBS Sports reported. The ACC, Big 12 and Notre Dame also supported 24.

The CFP says the goal is access. "The decision to expand was driven by a desire to increase opportunities for FBS programs, student-athletes and fan bases," the playoff said in a statement. CFP board chair and Mississippi State president Mark Keenum said, "Opening the playoff to more programs, more student-athletes and more fan bases across the country is great for college football."

Former Alabama coach Nick Saban disagrees. "Too many. There's not 24 teams in the country that can win a National Championship," he told the Kelce brothers on the New Heights podcast. "It's about the money." He said the SEC title game was "a big thing for our players" and "a big thing to our fans."

An NBC Sports column raised a different objection: the players again had no seat at the table. It argued that draft-ready players on weaker teams will face injury risk that could cost them millions in draft stock for a second-round game against an elite program. The column also said the format will produce more non-competitive games.

CBS Sports noted the expansion is about access, not a major financial windfall for the conferences. It reported an earlier estimate of an additional $320 million on top of a current contract averaging $1.2 billion per year.

What comes next

The first test is within weeks. The SEC plays its last championship game Dec. 5 in Atlanta. The Group of Six conferences still have to decide whether to follow the Power Four and drop their title games for 2027. The CFP also has not said how many teams its committee will rank each week.

The first 24-team field will be set at the end of the 2027 regular season.