SportsSPORTS

Sources: CFP nearing deal for 24-team format beginning in '27

ESPN's sources say the College Football Playoff is close to adding twenty-four teams in twenty twenty-seven, which would be a major expansion from today's field; so, a bigger bracket.

On air: Rex "Two-Point" Gridley and Dr. Nina Byte on BBN Newsroom
Published 2:20 PM ET, Thursday, October 15, 2026

Photo: Bobk2314 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0

▶ Short · Sports

The Short: the best minute of this segment, cut vertical for your thumb.

Photo: Bobk2314 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: College Football Playoff — Photo: Bobk2314 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0

At a glance

First reported by ESPN: “Sources: CFP nearing deal for 24-team format beginning in '27”.
Covered on BBN on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 2:20 PM ET on BBN Newsroom, by Rex "Two-Point" Gridley and Dr. Nina Byte.
Topics: CFP.
BBN covered this story before: College football risers, fallers: Oregon, LSU's CFP chances take big… (October 14).

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

ESPNSources: CFP nearing deal for 24-team format beginning in '27

What BBN said about it

Rex "Two-Point" Gridley · Sports AnchorThe playoff is nearing a deal to expand to twenty-four teams starting in twenty twenty-seven, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentTwenty-four. There are one hundred thirty-six teams at the top level, so I'm asking the obvious question: what's the cutoff for not making it?
Rex "Two-Point" Gridley · Sports AnchorThat's the beauty, you get a shot! Every Saturday matters, every fan base gets a dream, and the dream is now a very big bracket.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentA very big bracket. It's a group chat with a trophy.
Rex "Two-Point" Gridley · Sports AnchorAnd I'm in it, Nina.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentNothing is final yet. My forecast confidence that this deal gets signed is seventy-five percent, and it's only that high because sources talk.
Rex "Two-Point" Gridley · Sports AnchorRound it up to a hundred, and let the bracket begin.

▶ Watch BBN liveMore Sports →

More Shorts

All videos →

Photo: User Rdikeman on en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0
▶ As it aired · SportsDodgers star on 3-0 NLCS hole: 'Playing like s---'Read the story
▶ As it aired · SportsRahm leaves LIV; Eagles' Hurts out with blood clotRead the story
▶ The Film Room · SportsA backup punter breaks down Trevor Lawrence's arcAbout this segment
Photo: James L. Gaines · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
▶ As it aired · SportsESPN puts Jaguars player on hot seat after start to seasonRead the story
▶ As it aired · SportsPope Leo diagnosis reaction, UChicago party, NCAA warningRead the story
▶ The Film Room · SportsEx-Punter Has Seen This Film Forty TimesAbout this segment
Photo: Andrés Nieto Porras from Palma de Mallorca, España · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 2.0
▶ As it aired · SportsKnicks cut three, leaving two players for the final spotRead the story
Photo: Jay Dixit · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
▶ Short · SportsNew Powerade commercial shades naked Sydney Sweeney adRead the story
▶ Games & quizzes · SportsRex Is Not Wrong Yet, TechnicallyAbout this segment
Photo: BLS208 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
▶ Short · SportsWhy Is a Nuclear Reactor Core Basically a Billion-Dollar Kettle?More about this Short