Report: College Football Playoff Moving Closer To 24-Team Expansion

The College Football Playoff appears to be moving closer to a major expansion.

According to Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger, CFP leaders met Wednesday to continue working through the logistics of a potential 24-team playoff while negotiations with ESPN continue.

One CFP stakeholder told Dellenger, “If we can get a decent [TV] deal, we are definitely going to 24.”

The most-discussed format would feature 23 at-large teams and one spot for the highest-ranked Group of Six program. Eight first-round games would likely be played the week after the regular season, with eight second-round games potentially being played on campus sites.

One major issue is what would happen to conference championship games, which could be eliminated under the expanded format. The lost revenue from those games is believed to be at least $250 million.

The CFP and ESPN have until Oct. 9 to negotiate before the expanded playoff media rights could be taken to the open market.

The CFP has stressed that no final decision has been made, but Wednesday’s discussions are another sign that a 24-team playoff could be coming as soon as 2027.