Playoff expansion remains on track, now a ‘handshake deal’ between ESPN and CFP, per report
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The College Football Playoff expanding from 12 teams starting in 2027 didn’t lose any steam on Friday afternoon, 1 day after ESPN insider Pete Thamel reported that the CFP was “nearing a deal to expand to 24 teams.”
There was another report from Thamel on Friday that suggested the Playoff field doubling in size for next season was just about a formality. According to Thamel, fellow ESPN insider Heather Dinich reported on Friday that Playoff expansion is now a “handshake deal” between ESPN and the College Football Playoff.
“Some blocking and tackling and approvals still left, but the 24-team College Football Playoff remains on track to becoming a reality in 2027,” Thamel wrote in his social media post on Friday afternoon.
Thamel’s report on Thursday suggested that the “new format will start in 2027 and is expected to come together in the near future, pending final approvals.”
Also included in Thamel’s report on Thursday was that the Playoff “is finalizing a deal with ESPN to purchase the additional games through the 2031 college football season, which is the same length as ESPN’s current deal.”
With the 24-team Playoff seemingly on the way for next year, this year it’s still a 12-team Playoff, and the battle for those spots is ongoing as Week 7 approaches. Here is what the Kalshi market is currently saying about which teams have the best odds to qualify for those 12 spots come December:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
