CFP Issues Statement Regarding Its Evaluation of Potential Playoff Expansion to 24 Teams
9/8/2026 2:25:00 PM | General
IRVING, Texas – The College Football Playoff (CFP) today, September 8, issued the following statement regarding its evaluation of potential Playoff expansion to 24 teams:
"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. 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."
About the College Football Playoff
The College Football Playoff (CFP) is the competition that crowns the true national champion in college football. The format of the CFP is built on a 12-team bracket. The 12 participating schools are the conference champions from the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten Conference, Big 12 Conference, Southeastern Conference and the highest-ranked team from the American, Conference USA, Mid-American Conference, Mountain West, Pac-12 Conference or Sun Belt Conference, along with the next seven highest-ranked teams. The University of Notre Dame will be included in the Playoff if it is ranked among the top 12 teams in the final CFP rankings. Four CFP First-Round games are played on host campuses, followed by the CFP Quarterfinals and CFP Semifinals, which rotate annually among six bowl games – the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential and the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The CFP National Championship will be on Monday, January 25, 2027, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. For additional information on the CFP, visit CollegeFootballPlayoff.com.
"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. 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."
-CFP-
About the College Football Playoff
The College Football Playoff (CFP) is the competition that crowns the true national champion in college football. The format of the CFP is built on a 12-team bracket. The 12 participating schools are the conference champions from the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten Conference, Big 12 Conference, Southeastern Conference and the highest-ranked team from the American, Conference USA, Mid-American Conference, Mountain West, Pac-12 Conference or Sun Belt Conference, along with the next seven highest-ranked teams. The University of Notre Dame will be included in the Playoff if it is ranked among the top 12 teams in the final CFP rankings. Four CFP First-Round games are played on host campuses, followed by the CFP Quarterfinals and CFP Semifinals, which rotate annually among six bowl games – the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential and the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The CFP National Championship will be on Monday, January 25, 2027, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. For additional information on the CFP, visit CollegeFootballPlayoff.com.
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