The College Football Playoff (CFP) Management Committee on Nov. 9 unanimously approved Playoff expansion to 24 teams, beginning with the 2027-28 college football season.
The traditional major bowls – including the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta, Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, and Cotton Bowl – will continue to host the quarterfinal and semifinal games of the playoff rotation.
“This is an extraordinary day for college football. The arrival of the 24-team Playoff is a significant step forward for our sport, creating more opportunity than ever before,” David Epps, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl president and CEO, said in a statement. “More teams, more players, more fan bases and greater access to the Playoff are all positive things for college football. For us at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, our focus remains on delivering exceptional Quarterfinal and Semifinal Games and making sure Atlanta continues to play a major role in determining college football’s national champion.”
The CFP also announced that it has reached a new media rights agreement with ESPN. This agreement makes ESPN the exclusive, worldwide rightsholder to the expanded 24-team Playoff, beginning with the 2027-28 season. The exclusive home of the CFP since its inception in 2015, ESPN will present all 23 games of the new format. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The agreement also includes continued exclusive rights to all ancillary programming connected to the Playoff, such as the CFP Selection Show, weekly CFP Top 25 Rankings shows and more.
The 24-team CFP field will be comprised of the four conference champions from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC (as determined by their respective conferences), the highest-ranked team from the American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12, OR Sun Belt; and the 19 highest-ranked remaining teams in the final CFP Selection Committee ranking.
CPF released this statement about the expansion:
“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 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.”
