College Football Playoff and ESPN Agree on Five-Year Deal Expanding Field to 24 Teams in 2027
Some major changes are coming. The College Football Playoff and ESPN have agreed on a five-year deal that will expand the field to 24 teams in 2027. Furthermore, this half a decade deal, is an over $1.6 billion agreement between the CFP and ESPN. The move will also eliminate conference championship games. Power conferences will be required to play at least 10 P4 opponents starting in 2027, The College Football Playoff announced. So then, the 12-team College Football Playoff lasted three seasons.
Moreover, this news also means RIP to the SEC title game. It was a great 35-year run, starting in Birmingham w/Alabama vs. Florida in 1992. But now a new era emerges.
The College Football Playoff and ESPN have signed a five-year, nearly $1.7 billion deal that will expand the field to 24 teams in 2027 with ESPN as its continued broadcast partner. The change will commence with the 2027-28 College Football Season. This new Exclusive Media Rights Agreement with ESPN will see the sports network giant televising new CFP games through the 2021-32 season.
Ross Dellenger of Yahoo! sports reported on the CFP and ESPN agreement. He states,
“The College Football Playoff, at last, announces an agreement with TV partner ESPN to expand the postseason to 24 teams starting in 2027, a long-awaited move that was expected since commissioners entered into the exclusive negotiating window with the network in September.
CFP confirms some expected info on the 24-team playoff:
– first *and* second-round games on campus of better seed
– 4 auto bids to P4 champs; 1 auto bid to highest-ranked G6; 19 at-large bids based on CFP rankings; top 8 ranked teams receive a first-round byeA new scheduling requirement – reported back in August – requires power conference programs to play 10 games against fellow power conference programs (that means 1 power league non-conference game).
G6 schools are required to play 10 DI games vs. non-FCS competition.”
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey on the CFB Playoff expansion to 24 teams:
“Expanding the College Football Playoff is about more than adding teams. It is about creating meaningful opportunities for student-athletes and universities, rewarding competitive excellence and challenging schedules, increasing fan access to championship competition by expanding the number of on-campus playoff games, and strengthening the importance of the entire season from opening weekend through the national championship.
This new format advances those priorities while preserving what makes college football special and supporting the long-term future of our sport.”
Additionally, CFP Executive Director Rich Clark on the 24-team Playoff:
“We will make the 24-team Playoff spectacular for the fans, student-athletes, their institutions and all our stakeholders. That is our commitment. Our organization delivers a world-class championship experience at our games and our events, and this promise will continue under the new format. 23 games of Playoff football, featuring 24 ranked teams going head-to-head for the right to be crowned the true national champion.”
The College Football Playoff (CFP) Management Committee, on November 9, unanimously approved Playoff expansion to 24 teams, beginning with the 2027-28 college football season. Right after, the CFP also announced that it had reached a new media rights agreement with ESPN.
College Football Playoff and ESPN Agree on Five-Year Deal Expanding Field to 24 Teams in 2027
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 (subject to the sublicensing rights) will present all 23 games of the new format. 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.
Lastly, no CFP games will be scheduled in conflict with the historic Army – Navy game. The Management Committee has worked closely with American Conference Commissioner, Tim Pernetti on behalf of both academies and CBS Sports to provide a solution that preserves the tradition’s protected window from Playoff games while providing Army and Navy an opportunity to compete for a national championship.
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