College Football Playoff, ESPN reach 5-year deal for expansion to 24 teams valued at over $1 billion
By Andrew Olson
Published:
ESPN and the College Football Playoff have reportedly reached an agreement to expand the CFP to 24 teams.
The reported expansion becomes official with the new ESPN contract. The 24-team Playoff will begin in the 2027 season.
Heather Dinich, reporting for ESPN news on an ESPN deal, relays, per sources, that the deal is for nearly $1.7 billion. ESPN will remain the College Football Playoff’s media partner. ESPN has previously sublicensed CFP games to TNT Sports while maintaining production of those broadcasts.
As has long been suspected with CFP expansion to 24 teams, Dinich reports that conference championship games will no longer be played in the new era of the Playoff.
The CFP and ESPN have agreed on a five-year, nearly $1.7 billion deal that will expand the field to 24 teams in 2027 with ESPN as its continued broadcast partner, sources told ESPN, a seismic move that also eliminates the lucrative Power 4 conference championship games.
— Heather Dinich (@CFBHeather) November 9, 2026
The College Football Playoff began with the 2014 college football season. It was a 4-team Playoff from 2014 through the 2023 season. The 12-team CFP, which introduced opening-round Playoff games on campus, began in the 2024 season. The 2026 season will be the last of the 12-team Playoff with Power 4 conference championship games.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaign of Fred Taylor.
