The College Football Playoff is working through the final stages of a media rights negotiation with ESPN that would expand the postseason field from 12 to 24 teams starting in 2027, according to CBS Sports. CFP leaders delivered a final financial proposal to ESPN on Friday, Oct. 11, triggering a five-business-day review window that puts ESPN’s response deadline at either Oct. 16 or Oct. 19, depending on how a holiday is counted.
No agreement has been finalized. Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti said this month that ESPN’s originally scheduled negotiating window, which had been set to lapse Friday evening, was extended to allow more time for talks.
The Main Development
CFP executives are seeking a deal valued above $320 million with ESPN, according to CBS Sports, built around roughly $70 million to $80 million in new revenue on top of the cost of absorbing conference championship game rights, which CFP officials peg at nearly $250 million. ESPN currently holds broadcasting rights to the ACC, Big 12 and SEC championship games, and Disney Advertising manages sponsorship packages for the ACC and SEC as ESPN’s network partner.
If ESPN turns down the proposal, the CFP could split media rights across multiple networks to hit its financial targets, per CBS Sports. ESPN’s existing six-year deal, worth $7.8 billion through the 2031-32 season, already covers a field of up to 14 teams at no additional cost, which is part of why the larger 24-team model requires separate negotiation.
Petitti struck an optimistic tone at Big Ten men’s basketball media day on Oct. 8. “I’m optimistic that we’ll get there, but that’s what the work is over the next few days,” he said. “ESPN has got some more time in the window, and then if we get out of that window for some reason, then we will make a decision about what comes next.”
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey echoed that timeline Wednesday, telling reporters including Scott Dochterman of The Athletic that a resolution is coming. “We’ll make some final decisions, probably sooner rather than later, is my expectation,” Sankey said. He added that “attitudes change over time and perspectives change” and that conferences have made progress on “scheduling commitments.”
What A 24-Team Playoff Deal Would Change
The model under discussion calls for 23 at-large bids plus one guaranteed spot for a Group of Six team, eliminating automatic bids for conference champions entirely. CFP executive director Rich Clark said an expanded first round and a new second round would both be played on campus sites rather than at neutral bowl locations.
The bracket would still funnel into the sport’s marquee bowls deeper in the postseason. New Year’s Six bowls would host the quarterfinals and semifinals under the 24-team setup, with the playoff opening during the second week of December.
That early start creates a scheduling conflict. The Army-Navy game, long played on the second Saturday in December, would need to shift to the first Saturday, the date traditionally reserved for conference championship games, since the expanded field eliminates those title games as a separate event on the calendar.
Why Conference Title Games Are The Sticking Point
Petitti was direct about the financial trade-off facing his conference. “I think, more generally, the way to think about it is that at a 24-team format, I think at least in the Big Ten, playing a championship game is not going to happen, right?” he said. “So, therefore, that is an important revenue day for the Big Ten, just as it is for the other conferences all the way across the board.”
Those championship games carry real value. ESPN’s Heather Dinich has reported that every Power 4 conference title game is worth at least $200 million in media value, a figure conference commissioners now have to replace through the new CFP deal rather than through standalone broadcasts.
Under the current CFP revenue split, the Big Ten and SEC each collect about 29% of playoff revenue, the ACC gets roughly 17%, the Big 12 about 15%, with Group of Six leagues and Notre Dame dividing the remainder. That split has not been reported for a 24-team structure.
The ACC and Big 12 have already backed expansion. Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark pointed to how many more of his league’s teams would have qualified under the new format. “More access is good for this conference,” he said, according to Dochterman.
“If we had the 24-team format last year, we would have gotten five schools in, and that would be great for this conference. Not good, but great.”
The SEC’s position has shifted as well. Yahoo Sports previously reported the conference opposed the Big Ten’s original 24-team proposal, but Sankey has since signaled more flexibility. “We’ve worked through and continue to consider and work through those issues,” he said. “I think there’s an openness to Playoff expansion on our part.”
What’s Next
ESPN’s response window closes no later than Oct. 19, and that answer will determine whether the CFP proceeds with its current approach or begins shopping rights to other networks. Beyond the media deal, the SEC and Big Ten hold final say on whether the format change happens at all, while the ACC and Big 12 have already voiced support.
A formal deadline for any CFP format change sits at Dec. 1, though Dochterman’s reporting notes that conference officials retain the ability to agree to an extension if talks run long.
For a look at how current CFP contenders are shaping up on the field, see Total Apex Sports previews of Ohio State vs. Indiana and Notre Dame vs. BYU.
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