After what will be just three years of having a 12-team CFB Playoff, the field is being expanded to 24 teams beginning in 2027.This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners.If you sign up or place a wager, FOX News may be compensated.
This content was created by a team that works independently from the FOX newsroom.Signs have long been pointing to an expansion, but now the final piece of the puzzle has all but fallen into place with ESPN reportedly jumping on board; this drastic change to the sport is taking shape in a hurry.CLICK HERE FOR MORE OUTKICK SPORTS COVERAGEThe Indiana Hoosiers lift the trophy after the College Football Playoff National Championship between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Miami Hurricanes.(Photo by CFP/Getty Images) (CFP/Getty Images)Sources have confirmed with OutKick's Trey Wallace that a meeting between representatives from ESPN and the College Football Playoff will take place on Thursday, in which a deal will be finalized between the two that will see ESPN purchase the additional games that come with the expanded tournament.
ESPN's current deal to broadcast the College Football Playoff runs through 2031.The ESPN logo is displayed at the top of a building in L.A.(Photo by Aaron M.
Sprecher/Getty Images) (Aaron M.Sprecher/Getty Images)THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW–UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE.
DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW!With the addition of Playoff games, it is safe to assume that 2026 will be the final year we see conference championship games played across Power Four and Group of Six conferences.Additionally, fewer bowl games will take place beginning in 2027.Sources also confirmed with Wallace that the 24-team Playoff bracket will feature 19 at-large bids, with one auto bid going to each of the Power Four conferences and the fifth and final auto bid going to a Group of Six team.One of the more intriguing wrinkles of the expanded Playoff is that the first two rounds of the postseason tournament will,...