By Habari Entertainment
The College Football Playoff will double its field from 12 to 24 teams beginning with the 2027–28 season, adding a second round of campus games and expanding the postseason to 23 games. The CFP Management Committee unanimously approved the expansion Nov. 9 and announced an exclusive worldwide media rights agreement with ESPN through the 2031–32 season.
The 2026–27 playoff will use the 12-team format, with the national championship scheduled for Jan. 25, 2027, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. New Orleans will host the first championship under the expanded format on Jan. 24, 2028.
How teams will qualify
The ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC champions will earn automatic berths. One berth will go to the highest-ranked team from the American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12 or Sun Belt. The selection committee’s final rankings will determine the 19 remaining spots.
| Seeds | Opening assignment |
|---|---|
| 1–8 | First-round bye and a second-round home game |
| 9–16 | Host a first-round game against a team seeded 17–24 |
| 17–24 | Travel for a first-round game |
The first two rounds will account for 16 of the 23 playoff games, all on campus. The 12-team format has four campus games. Quarterfinals and semifinals will continue to rotate among the Cotton, Fiesta, Orange, Peach, Rose and Sugar bowls. C
The first expanded playoff will begin in the first full week of December 2027. The CFP said it will avoid scheduling games against Army–Navy. Heisman Trophy Weekend will move earlier, to Dec. 3–5 in 2027.
What changes for scheduling and TV
The CFP expects schools in the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC to play at least 10 qualifying regular-season games. Conference games count, as do nonconference games against teams from those four leagues or Notre Dame. Schools in the other six conferences also face a 10-game expectation, with a broader set of FBS opponents counting toward it. The selection committee will give weight to at most one win over an FCS opponent per season. Each conference will decide the future of its championship game.
ESPN’s agreement covers all 23 games, with at least three games from each of the first two rounds on ABC. ESPN can sublicense select games and retains rights to the CFP Selection Show and weekly Top 25 rankings shows. The CFP did not disclose financial terms.
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