College Football Playoff is expanding to 24 teams in 2027
NBC News • • sports
Key Points:
- The College Football Playoff (CFP) will expand to a 24-team format starting in the 2027 season, doubling the current 12-team playoff structure introduced in 2024.
- Each Power 4 conference champion (Big Ten, SEC, ACC, Big 12) will receive an automatic bid, along with 19 at-large bids and one automatic bid for the highest-ranked Group of 6 school.
- The top eight teams will receive first-round byes, while teams ranked 9-16 will host teams ranked 17-24 in the first round on campus, with quarterfinals and semifinals held at the New Year’s Six bowl games.
- The Power 4 conferences will no longer hold conference championship games; champions will be determined by regular season standings and tiebreakers, and the Army-Navy game will move to the former conference championship weekend in early December.
- The 24-team playoff format aims to increase opportunities for programs and fans, will last through the 2031-32 season, and follows previous expansions from four teams (2014-2023) to twelve teams (2024-2026).
