This article was written by Gus Wilson and published on Sport & State, a new media company founded by Clay Travis that is built around sports, culture, original voices, and live conversation.
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that → write → sports
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It’s official.
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It → ’ → ?
The College Football Playoff is doubling in size, and college football is about to look a whole lot different.
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football → double → size
Nearly a month after reports of a handshake agreement between the CFP and ESPN, the two sides finalized a five-year media rights deal Monday morning, officially expanding the playoff field from 12 to 24 teams beginning in 2027.
PLAYOFF EXPANSION:
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sides → finalize → 2027
The CFP and ESPN have agreed to a 5-year, $1.7B deal to expand the playoff to 24-teams.
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CFP → agree → teams
— Sport & State (@SportNState) November 9, 2026
The CFP Management Committee unanimously approved the expansion, with ESPN reportedly agreeing to pay nearly $1.7 billion for the additional games while retaining broadcasting rights to all 23 playoff matchups.
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ESPN → approve → matchups
But while the expansion is officially happening, plenty of questions remain about what college football will look like next season.
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football → happen → what
Here’s everything we know, what remains undecided and how the 24-team playoff will change college football beginning in 2027.
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playoff → ’ → 2027
What we know
The field
The CFP has officially adopted a 24-team format featuring five automatic qualifiers and 19 at-large selections.
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CFP → know → large
The four conference champions from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC will automatically qualify, along with the highest-ranked team from the six remaining conferences: the American, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac-12 and Sun Belt.
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champions → qualify → conferences
The other 19 spots will be awarded to the highest-ranked remaining teams in the selection committee’s final rankings.
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spots → award → rankings
The eight highest-seeded teams will receive first-round byes, while the remaining 16 compete for the opportunity to face them in the second round.
One notable change involves Notre Dame.
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change → seed → Dame
Under the current 12-team format, the Fighting Irish receive an automatic bid if they finish inside the committee’s top 12.
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they → receive → 12
Beginning in 2027, that guarantee disappears.
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guarantee → begin → 2027
Notable in reporting by @CFBHeather on the CFP expansion: Notre Dame will no longer have an automatic inclusion clause if it meets a certain ranking criteria.
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it → report → criteria
RIP Notre Dame Clause
Born: December 2025
Died: November 2026But what a full life it lived.
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— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) November 9, 2026
Notre Dame can still qualify through one of the 19 at-large spots, but it will no longer have a special path into the field.
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it → qualify → field
While doubling the playoff sounds like a massive opportunity for smaller programs, we’ll get to why that might not be entirely true.
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that → double → programs
Beginning in 2027, the Power Four conferences will no longer hold their annual football championship games.
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conferences → begin → games
They all announced Monday that their 2026 championship games will be their last.
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games → announce → ?
With the CFP officially expanding to a 24-team playoff, this year will mark the final season for conference title games. https://t.co/KhC8bEv2lg
— The Next Round (@NextRoundLive) November 9, 2026
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year → expand → games
The ACC is already promoting its final championship game in Charlotte, scheduled for Dec. 5, 2026.
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ACC → promote → Dec.
Last one, best one 🏆
The 2026 ACC Football Championship Game marks the final annual championship game for the Conference as the CFP moves to a 24-team format
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CFP → mark → format
— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) November 9, 2026
The decision is largely about making room for the additional playoff games.
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decision → make → games
The regular season will conclude on Thanksgiving weekend, with the final games scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 27, 2027.
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games → conclude → Saturday
Although Nov. 28 has been reported as the expected Selection Sunday, the CFP has not formally announced that date.
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CFP → report → date
That leaves the first weekend of December available before the expanded playoff begins.
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playoff → leave → December
But while the Power Four have made their decisions, the smaller conferences haven’t.
FOX Sports‘ Ben Portnoy reports that none of the Group of Six conferences had decided whether to eliminate their championship games as of Monday’s announcement.
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none → make → announcement
The American, MAC, Mountain West and CUSA are undetermined on whether they will eliminate their conference title games following CFP expansion.
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they → eliminate → expansion
Those conversations are ongoing but expect some resolutions in the near future.
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conversations → expect → future
@CFBONFOX | @FOXSports
— Ben Portnoy (@bportnoy15) November 9, 2026
There is also a significant question about how the Power Four will determine their champions without a championship game.
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The Big 12 has already confirmed that its regular-season champion will receive the conference’s automatic playoff bid, while the other conferences are still finalizing their procedures.
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conferences → confirm → procedures
Where the games are played
One of the more exciting changes is the massive increase in playoff games played on college campuses.
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Under the new format, 16 of the 23 playoff games will take place on campus, compared to just four under the current system.
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games → take → system
The No. 9 through 16 seeds will host the first round against seeds 17 through 24.
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seeds → host → 24
The eight winners will then travel to face the top eight seeds, who receive a bye and host their second-round games.
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who → travel → games
Both rounds will be played between Thursday and Saturday of their respective weekends.
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rounds → play → weekends
The quarterfinals and semifinals will remain at the six traditional CFP bowl locations: the Cotton, Fiesta, Orange, Peach, Rose and Sugar bowls.
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quarterfinals → remain → locations
The first 24-team national championship will take place in New Orleans on Jan. 24, 2028, followed by Tampa on Jan. 22, 2029.
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championship → take → Jan.
ESPN and ABC will carry the expanded playoff, with ESPN retaining the ability to sublicense select games.
Army-Navy rescheduling
One of college football’s greatest traditions is also getting moved.
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One → carry → traditions
…and 47 more, not listed.
The Aporia
