College Football Playoff Expands to 24 Teams in 2027 Under New ESPN Deal, Ending Power 4 Title Games

The College Football Playoff is going to 24 teams, and the Power 4 conference championship games that have closed out the regular season on the first weekend of December are going away to make room for it.

The CFP and ESPN have agreed on a five-year, nearly $1.7 billion deal that will expand the field to 24 teams in 2027 with ESPN as its continued broadcast partner, sources told ESPN on Monday. The agreement also eliminates the Power 4 conference title games, one of the most lucrative weekends on the college football calendar.

As of late Monday morning, the CFP had not posted an announcement of the deal. Its most recent public update came Friday, Nov. 6, when it said in a statement that "a formal agreement between the CFP and ESPN regarding future media rights in connection with potential expansion is in the final stages of review by the CFP. A decision on the agreement will be made following this review."

How the Deal Came Together

The playoff only expanded from four teams to 12 two seasons ago, and the push to double it has been building all fall. ESPN and the CFP opened a 30-day negotiating window on Sept. 9, and the talks continued after it closed on Oct. 9, according to ESPN. On Oct. 16, ESPN's Heather Dinich and Pete Thamel reported that the two sides had reached a "handshake agreement" on a 24-team playoff, with final approvals still to come. The CFP issued public updates on the negotiations on Oct. 10, Oct. 15 and Nov. 6.

The Big Ten has been the driving force behind the 24-team model, according to ESPN, and Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger reported in October that the Big Ten and SEC, which hold authority over format decisions, had both signed off.

ESPN already holds the playoff's media rights. In March 2024, the network and the CFP agreed to a six-year, $7.8 billion contract that runs through the 2031-32 season. The new deal adds the expanded games on top of that.

How the Money Works

ESPN reported in October that the network's average additional payment for the expanded playoff would be $345 million a year over five years, on top of the roughly $1.3 billion a year it already pays the CFP. Over five years, that extra money comes to about $1.7 billion, which lines up with Monday's report.

Part of that cost comes back to the networks. According to ESPN's reporting, the network expects to recover about $140 million a year from the cancellation of the three Power 4 title games it owns, the ACC, Big 12 and SEC championships, which would leave its net added cost at about $205 million a year. Fox, which televises the Big Ten championship game, is expected to get back about $50 million a year, ESPN reported.

What Losing Title Games Means for Conferences

The championship games are among the biggest paydays each league has, and the new money is largely meant to replace them. The Associated Press reported that the media rights deal would cover the nine-figure sums the major conferences would lose by giving up their title games.

Dellenger estimated in October that after roughly $200 million in lost championship game revenue is subtracted from ESPN's extra payment, the conferences would split about $150 million in new money. By his estimate, that works out to an extra $2.5 million to $3 million a year per school in the Big Ten and SEC and $1 million to $1.5 million per school in the ACC and Big 12, with the rest going to Notre Dame, UConn and the Group of 6.

Without title games, the first Saturday in December would become an off week. Dellenger reported that the Army-Navy game and the Heisman Trophy ceremony would likely move to that weekend.

What the 24-Team Format Looks Like

The CFP has not released a final format, but reporting from ESPN, Yahoo Sports and the AP points to this structure:

• Automatic bids: Five, for the Power 4 champions as determined by each league and the highest-ranked Group of 6 team.
• At-large bids: 19, chosen by the selection committee.
• Byes: Seeds 1 through 8 get a first-round bye and a home game in the second round.
• First round: Seeds 9 through 16 host on campus, in the second week of December, according to Dellenger.
• Second round: On campus in the third week of December, according to Dellenger.
• Quarterfinals and semifinals: Still at the New Year's Six bowls, with the national championship game in January.

ESPN also reported that the season is expected to start a week earlier to fit the extra rounds. According to On3 and Awful Announcing, the deal caps the playoff at 24 teams through the end of ESPN's contract, and ESPN can sublicense up to half of the 12 new games to another network. TNT Sports already carries some playoff games under a sublicense through 2028.

How each conference will crown its champion without a title game has not been announced.

What Comes Next

The CFP said it will make a decision on the agreement once its review is finished and that it will provide more updates when appropriate. Details of the format could still change before it is made official.

None of this affects the current season. The 12-team field will be set on Selection Day, Sunday, Dec. 6, first-round games are scheduled for Dec. 18 and 19, and the national championship game is set for Monday, Jan. 25, 2027, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Sources: ESPN (Heather Dinich and Pete Thamel); College Football Playoff statement of Nov. 6, 2026; The Associated Press; Yahoo Sports (Ross Dellenger); On3; Awful Announcing. More college football coverage on Undrafted.