The 2026-27 college football season will reportedly be the last of the 12-team College Football Playoff. Despite the playoff expanding from four teams to 12 just two seasons ago. It could be a thing of the past.
ESPN's Pete Thamel reported on Wednesday that the CFP is moving closer to a 24-team playoff. Thamel added that the move could come as soon as next season, beginning in 2027.
Here's more on what the 24-team CFP would look like, via Thamel's reporting:
Under the proposed plan, teams seeded Nos. 1 through 8 would earn a first-round bye followed by a home game. (The No. 1 seed would face the winner of No. 16 vs. No. 17, the No. 2 seed would face the winner of No. 15 vs. No. 18 and so on). Teams hovering around No. 17 and No. 18 would want to move up so they can host a first-round home game (awarded to teams seeded Nos. 9-16), while teams at the bottom are constantly trying to stay in the field or protect their spot.
The CFP and ESPN opened a 30-day negotiating window to discuss what potential expansion would look like on Sept. 9, although the window was slightly expanded this week. News of the CFP possibly expanding to 24 teams has been rumbling since earlier this year. Over the summer, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey came out staunchly against expanding to 12 teams. But it appears that the revenue figures proposed by ESPN are too lucrative to pass up.
On Thursday evening, the CFP College Football Playoff released a statement on the current state of things.
"Constructive discussions with ESPN continued this week," the statement read. "We have enjoyed a strong partnership with ESPN since our inception and are appreciative of the productive dialogue we have had throughout the negotiating period and continuing over the last several days. We will provide additional updates on the matters of future format and media rights when appropriate."
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While the CFP expanding to 24 teams seemed like a foregone conclusion, the move would result in several changes to the sport. Among the biggest is that the expansion would eliminate conference championship games, which is a big source of revenue for teams. It would also potentially result in the reduction of some regular-season games, depending on how the postseason is structured.
Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger also pushed back some on Thamel's reporting, adding that there were some issues raised by executives:
There was no vote today after the presentation to commissioners of the ESPN expansion proposal, which remains just a proposal, sources tell @YahooSports.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) October 15, 2026
There were issues raised from executives in the process, the deal and the possible decision against entering the market. https://t.co/cGHkWiXQzp
South Carolina has never made the CFP since the postseason expanded to four teams in 2014. The Gamecocks' 2024 team that finished 9-3 missed the 12-team postseason. But that team would have made the 24-team field, as South Carolina finished ranked 15th in the rankings.
While a decision on expansion appears to be not set in stone for now, it sounds as though a change is coming sooner rather than later.
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