College Football Playoff Doubles to 24 Teams, Guaranteeing 4 Power Conference Champions
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Nov 9
College Football Playoff Doubles to 24 Teams, Guaranteeing 4 Power Conference Champions
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Nov 9
Summary
Starting next season, the CFP will expand from 12 to 24 teams, with automatic bids for the four Power conference champions, one for the top Group of 6 team, first-round byes for seeds 1-8 and the first two rounds on campus.
The overhaul ends conference championship games and replaces them with an open date before the playoff, a shift expected to create more tiebreaker disputes while making league titles less meaningful in the CFP race.
Big Ten schools and TV partners emerge as early winners because more teams and more elimination-style regular-season games should lift playoff access, ratings and media value under the expanded format.
Bowl games and top-tier powers stand to lose ground: 12 more playoff spots pull teams from the bowl pool, while elite programs trade a conference-title safety net for more win-or-go-home games.
The broader field could also open the door to multiple Group of 6 entrants and more home playoff dates in college towns, while schools already spending up to $50 million on rosters gain fresh incentive to keep investing.