The College Football Playoff will expand to 24 teams for the 2027 season, with ESPN signing a five-year rights deal worth nearly $1.7 billion on Monday.
That money is in addition to the six-year, $7.8 billion contract the two sides signed in March 2024 that cemented ESPN as the lone media rights holder through the 2031 season. The new agreement will see ESPN pay an extra $345 million annually.
ESPN announced the news itself in an article on its website.
“The decision to expand was driven by a desire to increase opportunities for FBS programs, student-athletes and fan bases to participate in the Playoff and have a chance to play for the CFP National Championship, while new scheduling standards incentivize institutions to schedule more compelling non-conference matchups during the regular season,” the CFP said in a statement. “The expanded format will feature 16 on-campus Playoff games, which will bring Playoff football to more students and local fans while providing a positive impact for campus communities.”
Under the agreement, the season will begin for all teams the week before Labor Day — traditionally called Week Zero, with a limited number of games — and conclude on Thanksgiving weekend. The CFP committee will announce the first 24-team field on Nov. 28, 2027, the Sunday after Thanksgiving.
The agreement also puts an end to the conference championship games held by the Power Four leagues.
The CFP began in the 2014 season with four teams earning the right to play for the national championship. Beginning with the 2024 season, the field expanded to 12 teams.
The CFP to be played this winter will be the end of the 12-team format.
Following the 2027 season, the top eight teams in the rankings will receive first-round byes. The first two rounds of games will be played at the home stadium of the higher seed. The New Year’s Six bowl games — Rose, Fiesta, Sugar, Peach, Orange and Cotton — will host the quarterfinals and semifinals.
The playoff will begin during the first full week of December and conclude on Jan. 24, 2028, with the national championship game in New Orleans.
“We will make the 24-team Playoff spectacular for the fans, student-athletes, their institutions and all our stakeholders. That is our commitment,” CFP executive director Rich Clark said. “Our organization delivers a world-class championship experience at our games and our events, and this promise will continue under the new format. 23 games of Playoff football, featuring 24 ranked teams going head-to-head for the right to be crowned the true national champion.”
The field of 24 will break down this way: champions of the four Power Four conferences, 19 at-large teams and the highest-ranked Group of Six team.
Notre Dame, an independent, must be ranked high enough to earn an at-large berth. There is no guaranteed entry for the Fighting Irish.
The annual Army-Navy game will not be impacted under terms of the agreement. It will be a standalone game the week after the rest of the teams finish the regular season, with the Heisman Trophy being handed out later that night. The game will not impact the CFP rankings should Army or Navy be one of the 24 teams selected.
–Field Level Media
