The College Football Playoff is nearing a deal to expand to 24 teams, sources told ESPN's Pete Thamel and Heather Dinich.
The new format would be implemented in 2027 and is reportedly pending final approvals. The College Football Playoff has used a 12-team format since the 2024 season.
The 24-team format is expected to eliminate Power 4 conference championship games and start the season a week earlier, Thamel and Dinich report. The tournament would award 19 at-large bids and include the four Power 4 conference champions as determined by each league and the highest-ranked Group of 6 program.
Under the current proposal, teams ranked No. 1-8 would reportedly receive a first-round bye and host a home game in the next round.
The tournament expanded to 12 teams after a 2014-23 run in which only four teams competed. The College Football Playoff management committee met in September to begin discussing another potential expansion.
"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," the committee said in an early September statement. "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."
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey initially lobbied for a 16-team playoff, while Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti has advocated for a 24-team format from the start.
ESPN and the College Football Playoff agreed in 2024 to a six-year, $7.8-billion deal that gives the network the rights to the tournament through the 2031-32 season.
"Constructive discussions with ESPN continued this week" the CFP committee said in a statement Thursday. "We have enjoyed a strong partnership with ESPN since our inception and are appreciative of the productive dialogue we have had throughout the negotiating period and continuing over the last several days. We will provide additional updates on the matters of future format and media rights when appropriate."
Indiana and Ohio State have won the tournament since its expansion to a 12-team field.
