College Football Playoff seems to be on its way to a 24-team format

2 min read
College Football Playoff seems to be on its way to a 24-team format

College Football Playoff seems to be on its way to a 24-team format

Like it or not, it’s coming.

College Football Playoff seems to be on its way to a 24-team format

Like it or not, it’s coming.

The College Football Playoff is undergoing a major transformation, and it looks like a 24-team format is on the horizon. Whether you're a fan of expansion or not, change is coming faster than a fourth-quarter comeback.

According to Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger, the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) is expected to officially back a 24-team playoff model—a move that would also eliminate traditional conference championship games. The AFCA's Board of Trustees, which includes notable names like Brent Venables, Bret Bielema, Rhett Lashlee, Clark Lea, Joey McGuire, and Pat Fitzgerald, has already voted to recommend "the maximum number of participants" in the postseason.

This shift has been brewing for months. Even as the current 12-team model was being rolled out, whispers of further expansion were already circulating. A 16-team option was also on the table, but the 24-team proposal has gained serious momentum among college football's power brokers.

Here's how the proposed 24-team bracket would work: The top eight seeds would earn a first-round bye, while teams ranked 9 through 24 would compete in on-campus playoff games. That means No. 24 would travel to No. 9, No. 23 would face No. 10, and so on—bringing the excitement of playoff football directly to college towns.

But there's a major scheduling hurdle: the Army-Navy game. Traditionally played on the second Saturday of December, this historic rivalry occupies a prime, exclusive time slot that draws massive TV ratings for CBS. Under the new format, playoff games would begin that same weekend, potentially leaving Army and Navy—even if ranked highly—unable to participate. Dellenger reports that league officials are exploring options to preserve the game's unique window while accommodating the expanded playoff.

The 24-team model would add ten games to the CFP schedule, extending the postseason deeper into January. For fans, that means more high-stakes football, more Cinderella runs, and more chances to see your team make noise on the biggest stage.

As the landscape of college football continues to evolve, one thing is clear: the playoff is getting bigger, and the debate over how big is just getting started.

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