The College Football Playoff is reportedly about to get a lot bigger. On Thursday, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that the CFP is nearing a deal to expand to 24 teams beginning with the 2027 season, pending final approvals. Nothing is signed yet, but if it holds, it would be the third playoff format in four years, after the move from four teams to 12 in 2024.
What ESPN reported
The news broke on ESPN’s social channels, with the @ESPN account on X posting that “the College Football Playoff is nearing a deal to expand to 24 teams,” per sources who spoke to Thamel, and adding that the new format would start in 2027. ESPN framed the deal as expected to come together pending final approvals, so treat the specifics below as the reported plan rather than a done deal.
Quick facts
What: Reported expansion of the College Football Playoff from 12 to 24 teams
When: Beginning with the 2027 season (pending final approval)
Source: ESPN’s Pete Thamel
Field of 24: 19 at-large teams, the Power 4 conference champions, and the highest-ranked Group of 6 team
Byes: Seeds 1-8 skip the first round
Bowls: Quarterfinals and semifinals stay in the New Year’s Six
How the 24-team field would be built
Per the report, the 24-team field would be made up of 19 at-large selections plus five teams that earn in by conference or ranking: the four Power 4 champions and the highest-ranked Group of 6 team. That is a notable shift from the current 12-team model, which guarantees spots to the five highest-ranked conference champions. The bulk of the bracket, 19 of 24 spots, would come down to the selection committee’s at-large picks.
How the 24-team bracket would work
The structure rewards the top of the bracket heavily. The top eight seeds would get a first-round bye and then host a home game in the round of 16. Seeds 9 through 16 would host first-round games, meaning there would be real campus playoff games up and down the bracket. ESPN’s example had No. 16 hosting No. 17, with that winner advancing to face No. 1.
From there, the quarterfinals and semifinals would continue to be played inside the New Year’s Six bowls (the Rose, Fiesta, Sugar, Peach, Orange and Cotton), and the national championship would stay in January. In short: first-round games on campus, the back half in the marquee bowls, and a title game to close it out.
Round-by-round at a glance
| Round | Teams | Site |
|---|---|---|
| First round | Seeds 9-24 (8 games) | Higher seed hosts on campus |
| Round of 16 | Seeds 1-8 enter (8 games) | Top 8 seeds host on campus |
| Quarterfinals | 8 teams (4 games) | New Year’s Six bowls |
| Semifinals | 4 teams (2 games) | New Year’s Six bowls |
| Championship | 2 teams | January, neutral site |
24 teams vs the current 12
The 12-team Playoff that debuted in 2024 gives first-round byes to the top four seeds and sends seeds 5 through 12 into first-round campus games. A 24-team field would double the bracket, push byes down to the top eight, and open first-round hosting all the way to the No. 16 seed. It would also roughly double the number of programs that can say they made the Playoff, while leaning even harder on at-large selections. For reference, you can still grab our printable 12-team CFP bracket and track the current field with our weekly CFP and bowl projections.
Printable 24-team CFP bracket
We built a printable bracket that lays out the reported 24-team format, from the first-round campus games through the New Year’s Six rounds to the title game. Print it, pencil in your seeds, and see how the bigger field would look.
Download the printable 24-team CFP bracket (PDF)
A reminder: this is a reported format, not a finalized one. Seeding rules, the exact bowl rotation and the at-large math could all shift before anything is signed. We will update this page as the CFP and ESPN confirm details.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the College Football Playoff expanding to 24 teams?
It is reported to be. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on October 15, 2026 that the CFP is nearing a deal to expand to 24 teams, pending final approvals. It is not yet official.
When would the 24-team Playoff start?
With the 2027 season, according to the report.
How would the 24-team field be chosen?
Reportedly 19 at-large teams, the four Power 4 conference champions, and the highest-ranked Group of 6 team.
Who gets a bye?
The top eight seeds would get a first-round bye and then host in the round of 16. Seeds 9 through 16 would host first-round games.
Where would the games be played?
First-round games would be on campus, the quarterfinals and semifinals in the New Year’s Six bowls, and the championship in January.
