Notre DameProposed 24-team CFP sharpens Notre Dame’s No. 8 chase
A format discussed Thursday would have put last season’s No. 11 Irish in a home playoff game, but a top-eight finish would bring the bye and second-round home date.
Teams in proposed CFP field
Seed that earns bye and Round 2 home game
Estimated conference revenue at stake if title games end
What Happened College Football Playoff leaders discussed a 24-team field Thursday that could begin in 2027, a proposal that would have made Notre Dame’s No. 11 finish last season good enough to host a playoff game but has not been approved.
The CFP management committee took no vote Thursday.
> “We've worked through a lot of the other issues associated with [a 24-team] expansion and those things needed to happen before we started any kind of negotiation [over money],” Clark said.
The proposed bracket puts its biggest premium on No. 8. The top eight seeds would receive an opening-round bye, then host in Round 2. Seeds Nos. 9 through 16 would host Round 1, but a win would send them to a top-eight seed. For Notre Dame, one spot could separate a bye and home game from an extra playoff game and a road trip.
“For Notre Dame, one spot could separate a bye and home game from an extra playoff game and a road trip.”
From the storyThe first two rounds would take place on campuses; the quarterfinals, semifinals and national championship would shift to neutral sites. The CFP has not said where or when those later games would be played, and it has not formally adopted the format or confirmed a 2027 start.
Why This One Matters Last season, Notre Dame went 10-2 and landed No. 11 in the CFP’s final rankings, outside the 12-team bracket. In the proposed 24-team field, that same ranking would put the Irish in a first-round home game.
The expansion would create 19 at-large spots alongside automatic berths for four Power Four champions and the highest-ranked Group of Six champion. Getting into that field would become easier. Reaching its top eight would matter more.
Josh Pate’s preseason playoff bracket contains 12 teams, so a 24-team format would extend a plausible postseason route well beyond that projected field. It would not erase the difference between contending for a title and merely qualifying.
What Most People Are Missing Notre Dame’s access could come with a tougher scheduling bill. Ross Dellenger reported that the Irish are expected to play SEC and Big Ten opponents more often as part of the expansion arrangement.
Notre Dame remains independent, usually plays five ACC opponents and keeps its NBC deal. Its future slate already includes a home-and-home series with Auburn beginning in 2027, Arkansas and Texas in 2028, then Alabama and Texas in 2029.
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has pushed for Power Four teams to schedule 10 games against power-conference opponents or Notre Dame. That would make the Irish a valuable nonconference opponent while placing more pressure on them to accept games with the SEC and Big Ten.
The CFP has not detailed how many Notre Dame games would change, or which seasons would absorb them. It also has not decided whether Power Four championship games would remain. Eliminating them would put an estimated $250 million in revenue at stake for the conferences.
The Pate State Read The proposed format gives Notre Dame protection against another finish like 2025, when an 11th-place ranking left the Irish out. But the real target would move from the cutoff line to No. 8.
Notre Dame was 6-0 before its Saturday, Oct. 17, game at BYU. The 2026 season will not decide a 2027 rule, but it offers the kind of chase the new bracket would reward: not just staying alive for a bid, but stacking enough wins to avoid the opening round.
What to Watch Next Watch whether the final proposal retains the top-eight bye and second-round home game, whether conference championship games survive and whether Notre Dame adds SEC or Big Ten series beyond Auburn, Arkansas, Texas and Alabama.
For the Irish, a 24-team playoff would make No. 24 the entry line. No. 8 would be the one that changes the road to a title.
01 · The Open QuestionsQuestions to Be Answered
Will the final proposal preserve the No. 8 bye and second-round home game?
The format has not been formally adopted, and the CFP management committee took no vote Thursday. The top-eight provision is the dividing line for Notre Dame: No. 8 gets an opening-round bye and a home game in Round 2, while Nos. 9 through 16 must play an extra game and then travel if they win.
How much tougher will Notre Dame’s schedule become under an expansion arrangement?
Ross Dellenger reported that Notre Dame is expected to play SEC and Big Ten opponents more often, while Greg Sankey has pushed for 10 games against power-conference opponents or Notre Dame. Auburn begins a home-and-home series in 2027, with Arkansas and Texas in 2028 and Alabama and Texas in 2029, but the CFP has not said which seasons would absorb additional games.
Will Power Four championship games remain on the calendar?
The CFP has not decided whether Power Four championship games would remain, and eliminating them would put an estimated $250 million in revenue at stake for the conferences. That decision is tied to the larger bracket’s structure, whose first two rounds would be on campuses before later rounds move to neutral sites.
02 · The Watch ListWhat to Watch Next
Does the final format keep the top-eight reward?
The proposal gives the top eight seeds an opening-round bye and a Round 2 home game. Seeds Nos. 9 through 16 would host in Round 1, then travel to a top-eight seed with a win.
Can Notre Dame build toward No. 8 rather than merely qualify?
A 24-team field would have put last season’s No. 11 Irish in a first-round home game. The article’s target is stacking enough wins to avoid the opening round.
Will Notre Dame add more SEC or Big Ten games?
The Irish are expected to play SEC and Big Ten opponents more often as part of the expansion arrangement, but the CFP has not detailed how many games would change or which seasons would absorb them.
Do Power Four championship games survive?
The CFP has not decided whether those games would remain. Eliminating them would put an estimated $250 million in conference revenue at stake.