ESPN's College Football Playoff Could Expand to 24 Teams Sooner Than You Think

The College Football Playoff could be getting a lot bigger, and there is now more momentum behind a 24-team field that would add another round of postseason games. Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti said on The Dan Patrick Show that the conferences have been working through the differences over the playoff's future and that the discussion around expansion has grown considerably in recent months. 'There's a lot more momentum for 24. There's definitely, you know, people warming up. I think a lot of coaches and ADs across all conferences really support the idea of 24,' he said. CBS Sports reports that the Big Ten is now willing to meet a key SEC demand as the two conferences work through their differences over a potential 24-team playoff. The 2026 season will remain at 12 teams, but the latest developments could put a 24-team playoff in position to become a reality in the near future. The SEC has pushed for teams to play 10 'qualifying events' against Power 4 opponents or Notre Dame as a condition for supporting a 24-team playoff. The Big Ten had resisted requiring its teams to play a Power 4 opponent outside of conference play. Still, the conference is now reportedly comfortable adopting the 10-game standard if it helps secure support for a 24-team CFP. A Big Ten official told CBS Sports that the conference is 'comfortable' adhering to the standard. Petitti said the structure of the CFP makes cooperation between the two leagues essential. 'The way it's structured is the two leagues have control of any of the changes to the format. So, we've got to come together,' he said. The Big Ten, ACC and Big 12 have supported a 24-team model, while the SEC has continued to favor a 16-team playoff. ESPN previously reported that the Big Ten and SEC have the bulk of the control over the playoff's future format. Earlier this year, the CFP was weighing whether to stay at 12 teams or eventually move to a 16- or 24-team field. A Big Ten proposal reported by ESPN called for a 24-team field with 23 teams selected by the committee and one spot for the highest-ranked Group of 6 team, with the top eight teams receiving first-round byes. The expansion could change how teams approach the regular season, according to Petitti. He said a larger field could make coaches more comfortable scheduling difficult opponents early in the year because an early loss would be less likely to end a team's playoff hopes. 'We just got to solve the access to the postseason. Get coaches comfortable that an early season loss isn't going to wreck your season,' Petitti said while speaking with Dan Patrick. He also wants to see more major matchups between Big Ten and SEC programs during the regular season, pointing out Texas at Ohio State and Oklahoma at Michigan as games that can generate national attention and large audiences. 'When we play those games, we get tremendous audiences, lots of buzz, and it makes the whole game and the sport better.' Critics have argued that doubling the field could make some late-season games less meaningful because more teams would have a path into the playoff. The SEC has raised concerns about the financial impact of eliminating its conference championship game, with CBS Sports reporting that the league has estimated the move could cost roughly $100 million. For cord cutters, the potential expansion is particularly interesting because ESPN currently holds the exclusive College Football Playoff media rights through the 2031-32 season. The six-year, $7.8 billion deal with ESPN was reached as the CFP expanded from four teams to 12, dramatically increasing the number of postseason games ESPN would carry. Under the current format, the 12-team CFP includes four first-round games, followed by four quarterfinals, two semifinals and the national championship. The current rights agreement was built around a 12- or 14-team playoff; however, ESPN reported that the contract includes a mechanism to address an expansion beyond 14 teams. A 24-team field would require another round of games and create significantly more postseason inventory and media-rights opportunities depending on how the CFP and ESPN structure the expanded tournament. Meanwhile, ESPN has already made the CFP a major part of its streaming strategy. For instance, during the 2026 CFP National Championship broadcast, the game aired on ESPN and was available through the ESPN app, while ESPN also offered a large MegaCast featuring alternate commentary, specialty camera angles, 4K, Coaches Film Room, Field Pass, SkyCast and other viewing options. For expansion to take effect in 2027, the Big Ten and SEC need to reach an agreement by December 1, 2026. There's still no guarantee the CFP will grow to 24 teams. The Big Ten's willingness to adjust scheduling, along with support from the ACC and Big 12, makes the larger field look more realistic than it did earlier this year. ESPN already anchors the CFP's media and streaming operation, so the next major question is how the network and any future partners will divide those extra games.