The College Football Playoff will double to 24 teams beginning next season, a move that eliminates the Power Four conference championship games that have been marquee events for three decades. College leaders announced the new format Monday after ESPN agreed to rework its contract to add the 11 new games, a deal reported to be worth an additional $1.7 billion over five years on top of the existing $7.8 billion contract running through 2031.
The championship game at Allegiant Stadium on Jan. 25 will be the final title game before the expansion takes effect. The new format provides five automatic qualifiers — the champions of the Power Four conferences and the highest-ranked team from the Group of Six — while a selection committee will choose the remaining 19 teams. Notre Dame receives no guaranteed access, unlike the current 12-team format.
The top eight seeds will receive first-round byes, with the playoff opening on the second weekend of December. The first two rounds will be played on campus sites, while the traditional Army-Navy game will move to the first weekend in December, the slot previously reserved for conference title games.
Revenue from the new playoff games is expected to offset the estimated $345 million value of the canceled conference title games, with ESPN no longer responsible for $140 million of the additional money tied to those games. SEC and Big Ten leaders, whose approval was required, are banking on their conferences claiming most of the new at-large spots, giving second-tier programs more incentive to maintain high spending in the era of NIL and $50 million roster budgets.
"Opening the playoff to more programs, more student-athletes and more fan bases across the country is great for college football," said Mississippi State president Mark Keenum, chair of the CFP board. "We look forward to seeing this expanded format come to life next season."
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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