College Football Playoff to Expand to 24 Teams Next Season
The College Football Playoff will expand to 24 teams starting next season, a decision announced by college leaders. This expansion alters a long-standing format and comes after ESPN renegotiated its contract.
Amarillo, TX, November 9, 2026 —
The College Football Playoff (CFP) is set to undergo a significant expansion, growing from its current format to include 24 teams. This decision was officially announced by college leaders, marking a substantial shift in the structure of the postseason for college football.
The expanded playoff format is slated to begin at the start of the next season. This change alters a format that has been in place for a considerable period, impacting how teams will qualify and compete for the national championship. The exact timeline for how the additional teams will be seeded or how the playoff rounds will be structured was not detailed in the announcement summary.
This expansion follows a renegotiation of the contract between the College Football Playoff and its broadcast partner, ESPN. The specifics of the renegotiated contract and its direct correlation to the expansion were not provided in the summary. However, the timing suggests a connection between the media rights agreement and the decision to increase the number of participating teams.
The move to a 24-team playoff represents one of the most significant format changes for the College Football Playoff since its inception. Details regarding the selection process for the additional teams and the implications for conference championship games or automatic qualifiers were not elaborated upon in the provided information. The college leaders who made the announcement have not yet released further details on the operational aspects of the larger playoff field.
Story summarized from the original created by EDDIE PELLS, Associated Press on www.myhighplains.com, see more information here.
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