The College Football Playoff is nearing a deal to double to 24 teams in 2027 and conference title games could go away

The College Football Playoff is about to get a lot bigger.

The CFP is nearing a deal to expand the field to 24 teams starting with the 2027 season, people familiar with the talks said Thursday. Final approvals are still needed but the deal is expected to come together soon.

The leading plan is a "19+4+1" model. That means 19 at-large teams plus the four Power Four conference champions plus the highest-ranked champion from the Group of Six.

How the bracket would work

The top eight seeds would get a first-round bye and then a home game. The No. 1 seed would face the winner of No. 16 vs. No. 17. The No. 2 seed would face the winner of No. 15 vs. No. 18 and so on down the line. Seeds 9 through 16 would host first-round games.

The first two rounds would be played on campus. The New Year's Six bowls (Rose, Fiesta, Sugar, Peach, Orange and Cotton) would still host the quarterfinals and semifinals. The national championship game would stay in January.

The end of conference title games?

To make room on the calendar the plan is expected to eliminate the Power Four conference championship games and start the season a week earlier. Talks have also included moving the Army-Navy game from the second Saturday in December to the first.

The Big Ten pushed hardest for 24 teams. Commissioner Tony Petitti has argued the larger field will not hurt the regular season because the format includes "tiered incentives" such as byes and home games for higher seeds.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey had favored a 12- or 16-team field that would keep his league's title game. He wanted any lost championship game money replaced and at least 10 regular-season games against power-conference opponents. The two leagues agreed in September to study the bigger bracket. They hold final say on the format and set a Dec. 1 deadline to decide.

Follow the money

Replacing the conference championship games was the biggest sticking point. Those games are worth nearly $250 million combined and playoff leaders were expected to seek $70 million to $80 million more than that. That could push the added yearly rights fee past $320 million.

ESPN already holds a six-year $7.8 billion deal for the playoff through the 2031-32 season. The two sides opened a 30-day negotiating window on Sept. 9. It closed Oct. 9 without a deal but talks kept going this week.

How fast it grew

The playoff started with four teams after the 2014 season. It jumped to 12 teams in 2024. Now it could double again just two seasons later, which means far more campuses could be hosting playoff football in December.