The CFP Is Expanding For The Same Reason The PCSA Is Gaining Momentum

ESPN is reporting that ESPN and the College Football Playoff are close to a deal to expand the playoff field to 24 teams in 2027. This news arrives merely two years after the field already expanded from four teams to 12. Not only was this expansion inevitable, but it is unlikely to be the last we see. For now, we are on the cusp of a 24-team playoff, which comes as ESPN and the CFP have been negotiating a big new deal for the network to continue broadcasting the games. According to ESPN's reporting, this new deal will do away with Power 4 conference championship games and start the season a week earlier. Details are reportedly being finalized, but ESPN describes the current composition for the 24-team field as 19 at-large bids, the Power 4 conference champions "as determined by each league," and the highest-ranked Group of 6 team. The Big Ten has been a leading proponent for this change, and its commissioner Tony Pettiti pushed back against complaints that further expansion would dilute and devalue the product and the games. He argues that the new system would include "tiered incentives." According to ESPN, seeds 1 through 8 would get a first-round bye, followed by a home game. Teams seeded from 9 through 16 would get a first-round home game, while teams seeded 17 and lower should be vying for a higher ranking, both to stay in competition and to get that first-round home game. Cool.

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