College Football Playoff expands to 24 teams in 2027
The New Year’s Six will join the bracket, while the reported bid system guarantees access to four Power Four champions and one Group of Six team.
NOV 11, 2026
Teams in the 2027 playoff bracket
Automatic-bid paths described in the article
Group of Six conference guaranteed CFP-related revenue units
01 · The NewsCFP Expands to 24 Teams
The College Football Playoff and ESPN announced that the FBS postseason will expand from 12 teams to 24 in 2027, with the New Year’s Six folded into the bracket and more playoff access coming at the expense of traditional bowl importance.
The larger field creates a title path for 12 additional teams, but the reported automatic-bid system guarantees access only to the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC champions and the highest-ranked team from the Group of Six: the Mountain West, MAC, Pac-12, Sun Belt, Conference USA and AAC.
The expansion also moves more postseason value inside the CFP. Traditional bowl season has included 40 matchups, including the six New Year’s Six games. With 24 teams entering the championship bracket, bowls such as the Pop-Tarts and Citrus could draw from a thinner group of teams outside the playoff. The effect on individual bowl invitations and matchups has not been announced.
The CFP and ESPN have not specified the 2027 seeding rules, playoff sites or exact bracket format, including how the New Year’s Six will fit into the rounds. Those decisions will determine how much advantage the automatic bids provide and how much postseason value remains outside the CFP.
For the Group of Six, the playoff door gets wider in 2027—but the money behind it may remain concentrated in one conference.
02 · The StakesThe Access Gap
That sets up a wider playoff race while deepening the financial and competitive divide between the Power Four and the Group of Six. Five of the six Group of Six conferences could produce a champion without an automatic route into the bracket. The money may split even more sharply. Only one Group of Six conference will be guaranteed CFP-related revenue units each season, according to the report. leaving most of those leagues with less certain access to the playoff money.
03 · The Watch ListWhat We're Watching
Who gets the automatic bids?
The bracket guarantees access to the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC champions and the highest-ranked Group of Six team.
What happens to the bowls?
Bowls such as the Pop-Tarts and Citrus could draw from a thinner group of teams outside the playoff, but the effect on individual invitations and matchups has not been announced.