College Football Playoff to expand to 24 teams in 2027
Big Ten, SEC, Big XII, ACC announce end to conference championship games
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WSAZ) - The college football playoffs are about to expand, while the four largest conferences have announced an end to their championship games after this season.
The College Football Playoff and ESPN announced a new 5-year deal Monday that will expand the playoffs from 12 teams to 24.
The new playoff format will include the conference champions from the ACC, Big Ten, Big XII and SEC, as well as the top ranked school from the American, Mountain West, PAC 12, Sun Belt, MAC or Conference USA. The remaining 19 spots will go to the teams ranked highest by the College Football Playoff Committee.
The expanded playoff will include 16 games on campus, as opposed to the current four.
The new format includes new scheduling requirements. The ACC, Big Ten, Big XII and SEC will all be required to play 10 opponents from among those four leagues. Notre Dame will count toward that requirement.
Schools in the American, Mountain West, PAC 12, Sun Belt, MAC and Conference USA must play 10 opponents that are at the FBS level.
Copyright 2026 WSAZ. All rights reserved.