24 Team Playoff: the Power 2 had a Jan 23, 2026 Deadline to EITHER EXPAND to 16 or 24 teams for 2026 OR remain at 12 teams for 1 More Year

[WeBeHerkin]

Personally, I think enough compromises will be made and the money will talk and we get to 24 teams. Whether a 24 team playoff is effective for the 2027 season remains to be seen....

I bet it does and it will be 2027 season. Conference championship games go by the wayside.

 

[Franisdaman]

The College Football Playoff is nearing a deal to expand the field to 24 teams in 2027, sources told ESPN's Pete Thamel. The deal is expected to come together in the near future, pending final approvals.

The Full Story:

Sources: College Football Playoff nearing deal for 24-team format in '27

The College Football Playoff is nearing a deal to expand to 24 teams, sources told ESPN's Pete Thamel, with the new format expected to begin in 2027.

www.espn.com

 

[Franisdaman]

I bet it does and it will be 2027 season. Conference championship games go by the wayside.

 

[Franisdaman]

Sources briefed on discussions have told On3 that:

* the opening 2 rounds of games would be played on campus sites

* the quarterfinals, semifinals and national championship would be played on neutral sites

* the 8 highest-ranked seeds would receive a bye.

* the Power4 conference champions and the top Group of Six conference champion would secure automatic berths

* the CFP would include 19 at-large bids.

* teams who received a first-round bye would then host a home game in the second round of the expanded playoff.

* the opening rounds of games would bring 8 on-campus games to schools in each round.

Here is what the first two rounds of the 2025 CFP would have looked like, if it had been 24 teams:

First Round
No. 24 North Texas at No. 9 Alabama
No. 23 Iowa at No. 10 Notre Dame
No. 22 Georgia Tech at No. 11 BYU
No. 21 Houston at No. 12 Miami
No. 20 Tulane at No. 13 Texas
No. 19 Michigan at No. 14 Vanderbilt
No. 18 Arizona at No. 15 Utah
No. 17 Virginia at No. 16 USC

Second Round
Virginia/USC winner at No. 1 Ohio State
Arizona/Utah winner at No. 2 Indiana
Michigan/Vanderbilt winner at No. 3 Georgia
Tulane/Texas winner at No. 4 Texas Tech
Houston/Miami winner at No. 5 Oregon
Georgia Tech/BYU winner at No. 6 Ole Miss
Iowa/Notre Dame winner at No. 7 Texas A&M
North Texas/Alabama winner at No. 8 Oklahoma


The move to a 24-team field would likely mean an end to conference championship weekend, sources have told On3. With no conference championship weekend, the expectation is it will be an off week and potentially for the annual Army-Navy game.

Seeding rules for a 24-team College Football Playoff

The College Football Playoff continues to inch toward a 24-team model, which could begin as early as 2027, sources have told On3's Pete Nakos, Chris Low

www.on3.com

 

[Franisdaman]

I bet it does and it will be 2027 season. Conference championship games go by the wayside.

Nailed it.

The move to a 24-team field would likely mean an end to conference championship weekend

 

[Franisdaman]

May 5, 2026 UPDATE:

Momentum for a 24 team field grows....

Story from today:

The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) board has voted in favor of multiple major changes to the sport, the organization announced Tuesday. They include the idea of a potential 24-team College Football Playoff and the elimination of conference championship games.

The Full Story:

AFCA Board votes in favor of 24-team CFP, elimination of conference championship games

.

www.on3.com

JAN 13, 2026 UPDATE:

The Power 2 conference commissioners are making the big decisions.

Check this out & watch:



ORIGINAL POST:

Was just a matter of time....

 

[Franisdaman]

Below is what the expanded 24-team College Football Playoff Bracket would look like, based on the current Week 7 AP Poll. The First and Second round games would be played on home fields, hosted by the higher seed.

First round​

Game 1: No. 17 Iowa at No. 16 Mississippi State
Game 2: No. 24 SMU at No. 9 Ole Miss
Game 3: No. 20 Houston at No. 13 Missouri
Game 4: No. 21 Wake Forest at No. 12 UCLA
Game 5: No. 18 Oklahoma State at No. 15 Kentucky
Game 6: No. 23 Boise State at No. 10 Texas Tech
Game 7: No. 19 USC at No. 14 Tennessee
Game 8: No. 22 LSU at No. 11 Utah

Byes: No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 3 Miami, No. 4 Ohio State, No. 5 Indiana, No. 6 Alabama, No. 7 Texas, No. 8 BYU

Second round​

Game 9: Winner of No. 17 Iowa/No. 18 Miss State at No. 1 Georgia
Game 10: Winner of No. 9 Ole Miss/No. 24 SMU at No. 8 BYU
Game 11: Winner of No. 13 Missouri/ No. 20 Houston at No. 4 Ohio State
Game 12: Winner of No. 12 UCLA/No. 21 Wake Forest at No. 5 Indiana
Game 13: Winner of No. 15 Kentucky/No. 18 Oklahoma State at No. 2 Notre Dame
Game 14: Winner of No. 10 Texas Tech/No. 23 Boise State at No. 7 Texas
Game 15: Winner of No. 14 Tennessee/No. 19 USC at No. 3 Miami
Game 16: Winner of No. 11 Utah/No. 22 LSU at No. 6 Alabama

The expanded Playoff, if anything, will showcase new matchups all across the landscape of college football. Of the projected First Round matchups, none of those matchups have occurred more than twice. Just Houston–Missouri, Tennessee–Air Force, and LSU–Utah have ever been played more than once. Along with fresh matchups, the 24-team Playoff will ensure more marquee games on home fields.

24-team College Football Playoff bracket seeded based on current AP Top 25 Poll

.

www.on3.com

 

[Franisdaman]

IF there were a 24 team playoff this season, here would be the bracket based on the current AP rankings.

Click on image for a LARGER view.

 

[Franisdaman]

Had there been a 24 team playoff over the last 12 years, IOWA would have beein included 6 TIMES (3 would have been HOME games).

Watch:

 

[WeBeHerkin]

My wife was like so we get to go somewhere warm???? I was like how warm is South Bend, Indiana in mid-December. lol.

 

[WeBeHerkin]

IF there were a 24 team playoff this season, here would be the bracket based on the current AP rankings.

Click on image for a LARGER view.

Fing cowbells??

 

[Grayhair1981]

IF there were a 24 team playoff this season, here would be the bracket based on the current AP rankings.

Click on image for a LARGER view.

I like the Hawks vs cowbells. Not so much against the dogs

 

[Hawk-A-Doodle-Doo]

I bet it does and it will be 2027 season. Conference championship games go by the wayside.

With bloated conferences barely making it possible to play half the teams, and no conference championship games, we'll need the ghost of Alan Turing to craft the 82 tiebreaker variables every year.

 

[Digger1]

 

[Kceasthawk@77]

That's the spirit........

 

[Franisdaman]

My wife was like so we get to go somewhere warm???? I was like how warm is South Bend, Indiana in mid-December. lol.

not very warm at all! LOL

and when does the turf freeze solid?

Minnesota, for example, now has heating coils under their turf. In late November, 2010, they DID NOT have those heating coils and the field was frozen solid and a skating rink.

On November 27, 2010, the temperature in Minneapolis was 27°F (feeling like 17°F with the wind chill) right around the time the sun went down.

Minnesota 27-24 Iowa (Nov 27, 2010) Final Score - ESPN

Game summary of the Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Iowa Hawkeyes NCAAF game, final score 27-24, from November 27, 2010 on ESPN.

www.espn.com

 

[HawksRule73]

That's the spirit........

I’ll take getting into the CFP with a chance to play GA over a meaningless FL bowl game any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

 

[Franisdaman]

I’ll take getting into the CFP with a chance to play GA over a meaningless FL bowl game any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

Assuming IOWA continues to win this season and remains in the top 16 or 17: If there had been a 24 team playoff, IOWA would be a participant in 7 of the 13 years. Not too shabby.

And I agree; that would be much better than a bowl game, which some now call an exhibition game.

 

[Franisdaman]

Fing cowbells??

We'll have to tune them out

 

[Franisdaman]

I like the Hawks vs cowbells. Not so much against the dogs

At Georgia would be tough

 

[Franisdaman]

So 8 first round byes? I don't like byes in football...

Yep

 

[WeBeHerkin]

So no chance of a playoff game on the Smurf turf in -20 degrees?

 

[WeBeHerkin]

We'll have to tune them out

Can we take in air horns?

 

[Franisdaman]

So no chance of a playoff game on the Smurf turf in -20 degrees?

I doubt Boise state will ever host. Lol

 

[Franisdaman]

We will be playin into February like the NFL

Still should be done in January

 

[WeBeHerkin]

Imagine next year at this time and level of interest for more teams as to who is in or out and where they may play in the CFP

 

[Franisdaman]

Imagine next year at this time and level of interest for more teams as to who is in or out and where they may play in the CFP

totally agree

remember when only 2 teams got a chance at a national championship (the old BCS system that determined #1 vs #2)?

 

[Franisdaman]

 

[Franisdaman]

Iowa would be hosting a FIRST ROUND game.

24-team College Football Playoff bracket seeded based on Week 8 AP Top 25 Poll​

Daniel Hager
@DanielHagerOn3
10/18/26

Below is what the expanded 24-team College Football Playoff Bracket would look like, based on the current Week 8 AP Poll.

The First and Second round games would be played on home fields, hosted by the higher seed.

First round​

Game 1: No. 17 Wake Forest at No. 16 USC
Game 2: No. 24 Northwestern at No. 9 UCLA
Game 3: No. 20 Florida at No. 13 Alabama
Game 4: No. 21 Boise State at No. 12 Kentucky
Game 5: No. 18 LSU at No. 15 Iowa
Game 6: No. 23 SMU at No. 10 Utah
Game 7: No. 19 Texas at No. 14 Houston
Game 8: No. 22 Missouri at No. 11 Tennessee

Byes: No. 1 Miami No. 2 BYU, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Notre Dame, No. 5 Georgia, No. 6 Indiana, No. 7 Ole Miss, No. 8 Texas Tech

Second round​

Game 9: Winner of No. 17 Wake Forest/No. 16 USC at No. 1 Miami
Game 10: Winner of No. 9 UCLA/No. 24 Northwestern at No. 8 Texas Tech
Game 11: Winner of No. 13 Alabama/ No. 20 Florida at No. 4 Notre Dame
Game 12: Winner of No. 12 Kentucky/No. 21 Boise State at No. 5 Georgia
Game 13: Winner of No. 15 Iowa/No. 18 LSU at No. 2 BYU
Game 14: Winner of No. 10 Utah/No. 23 SMU at No. 7 Ole Miss
Game 15: Winner of No. 14 Houston/No. 19 Texas at No. 3 Ohio State
Game 16: Winner of No. 11 Tennessee/No. 22 Missouri at No. 6 Indiana


This 24-team College Football Playoff would feature 11 teams participating in the CFP for the first time (No. 2 BYU, No. 9 UCLA, No. 10 Utah, No. 12 Kentucky, No. 14 Houston, No. 15 Iowa, No. 16 USC, No. 17 Wake Forest, No. 20 Florida, No. 22 Missouri, and No. 24 Northwestern). Of those 11 teams, the BYU Cougars would be the only team with a First Round bye.

24-team College Football Playoff bracket seeded based on Week 8 AP Top 25 Poll

.

www.on3.com

 

[Franisdaman]

Iowa is projected to miss the CFP and end up here:

Citrus Bowl
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida)
Noon, ABC
Bonagura: Iowa vs. Alabama
Schlabach: Iowa vs. Kentucky

2026-27 Week 7 College Football Playoff, bowl projections

Following an exhilarating Week 7, our bowl gurus take a look at how the postseason picture changed.

www.espn.com