College Football Playoff officials elected Tuesday to trigger a 30-day exclusive negotiating window with broadcast partner ESPN to discuss an expanded playoff format.
It represents the clearest sign yet that college football’s power brokers are interested in doubling the playoff field from 12 to 24.
“The CFP has decided to move forward in its evaluation of potential Playoff expansion to 24 teams by beginning a media rights discussion with ESPN,” a statement from the CFP read. “This does not represent a decision or commitment to expand, but rather an opportunity to engage with ESPN and gather additional information to help determine a path forward. The CFP will provide additional updates when appropriate.”
ESPN must receive a notification letter from the CFP before officially opening that window, but a report by the network acknowledged the window could begin as soon as Wednesday.
At issue is whether the removal of conference championship games would be outweighed by additional revenue from a 24-team format.
The Big Ten and Southeastern conferences have final say over playoff format changes, and they must agree by Dec. 1 for the expansion to be put in place for the 2027 season. The SEC has been supportive of an expansion to 16 teams, while the Big Ten is focused on 24 teams.
The Big Ten’s proposal for a 24-team field would include just one guaranteed spot for the Group of 6 conferences to go with the other 23 best teams, with no automatic qualifiers or conference title games.
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey sent a memo to members of the CFP management committee last week that outlined what a 24-team playoff must have in order for his league to compromise. Those included an assurance that the CFP would make back the revenue the SEC would lose in canceling its conference championship game. He also wants an agreement that Power 4 conference teams would have to play 10 games against fellow P4 programs or Notre Dame to be playoff-eligible.
