24-team playoff expansion: CFP eyes critical Oct. 9 deadline

College Football Playoff leaders kept talking about a 24-team playoff expansion Wednesday in Rosemont, Illinois, but did not vote on any calendar or scheduling changes for the 2027 season, CFP executive director Rich Clark told ESPN. The meeting at Big Ten headquarters came in the middle of the CFP’s exclusive negotiating window with ESPN, which holds the event’s media rights.

Negotiations and timeline

Clark said Oct. 9 is the final day of the 30-day window with ESPN. If no deal is reached by then, the rights go to the open market. The CFP then has until Dec. 1 to decide whether the format will change for 2027, according to ESPN.

“I think we’ve worked through a lot of the other issues that are associated with expansion, and those things needed to happen before we started any kind of a negotiation,” Clark said. “[Money] is not the only consideration, but right now it is an unknown because we have no idea what the revenue that could be generated is.”

Clark added that the group may need every day of the window. “It’s a 30-day window for a reason, and we may need to use it all,” he said.

How the expansion talks started

The playoff currently uses a 12-team field. ESPN reported Sept. 8 that the CFP would open its exclusive window with the network to discuss growing to 24 teams as soon as 2027, according to Saturday Down South. That report said the SEC and Big Ten now agree that exploring a 24-team playoff expansion is at least worth a try.

Money is the central question. Power 4 conference title games generate at least $200 million a year, plus more from tickets and sponsorships, so a bigger bracket would need to bring in enough new revenue to make up for losing them, per the same report.

What a 24-team playoff expansion would change

Beyond adding teams, the management committee is still mapping out the dates a 24-team field would require next season, Clark said. Whether conferences keep their championship games is a decision for each league. ESPN, citing sources, reported a 24-team bracket would likely end the Power 4 title games, which are valued at around $200 million. Group of 6 leagues would not have to drop theirs.

Clark said the ideal plan includes an off-week between the end of the regular season and the start of the playoff for player health and safety. He said second-round games would “most likely” be played at campus sites, but “that’s still a part of the discussion.”

Scheduling and the regular season

The SEC has pushed for a more uniform scheduling model that would require each Power 4 league to play 10 games against Power 4 opponents or Notre Dame. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti has said publicly he would support it, but Clark said that piece was not finalized Wednesday, per ESPN.

Clark also said the group has spent a lot of time on how a 24-team playoff expansion would affect the regular season. “The regular season is prime, and what happens to the regular season is important to us because we’re here for the regular season,” he said. “It’s not the other way around.”

Not everyone is sold. Yahoo Sports argued in a recent column that the sport has never been better and questioned the push for a larger field. Total Apex Sports made a similar case in May, calling 24-team expansion a money grab.

What’s next for 24-team playoff expansion

No other in-person meeting is scheduled, Clark said. “The negotiations will continue,” he said, adding that the group will reconvene if it needs more guidance from the management committee. For more on the playoff race, follow our college football coverage.

Reporting from ESPN, Saturday Down South and Yahoo Sports contributed to this story.