NCAA Closer to 24-Team College Football Playoff Expansion

By the Editorial Team · Saturday, October 17, 2026

The College Football Playoff administration and ESPN have reached a preliminary agreement to expand the playoff field to 24 teams, aiming to start as soon as next season while addressing financial losses for major conferences from eliminated championship games. This expansion could reshape postseason access and requires further negotiations to finalize details, coinciding with the NCAA’s legal challenge against Ohio’s new athlete eligibility rules.

Negotiations to expand the College Football Playoff to 24 teams have advanced significantly, with a confidential source confirming that a “handshake agreement” has been reached between the College Football Playoff administration and ESPN, the current broadcast partner. This tentative deal aims to address the substantial financial impacts on major conferences resulting from the elimination of their traditional conference championship games under the expanded format. While the core framework of the expansion is reportedly in place to begin as soon as the next season, numerous details still require finalization.

The proposed expansion reflects ongoing efforts by organizers to enhance the playoff structure, providing broader postseason access while balancing the interests of conferences and broadcasters. The major conferences would forgo the revenue typically generated through their title games, and the agreement with ESPN is designed to offset these nine-figure losses.

In a related collegiate sports development, the NCAA filed a lawsuit against the governor of Ohio following his executive order issued earlier this week. The order permits state universities in Ohio to allow athletes who graduated high school in 2022 to extend eligibility and participate in a fifth year of college athletics, effectively challenging the NCAA’s recently implemented eligibility restrictions. The NCAA contesting this move underscores continued tensions between state authorities and the governing body over athlete participation rules.

On the field, several notable college football games took place over the weekend. Tulane secured a 31-17 victory over Memphis in New Orleans, propelled by a strong performance in the second quarter where the team scored 23 points and amassed 150 rushing yards. Quarterback Trace Johnson contributed with 165 passing yards and one touchdown.

At West Lafayette, Indiana, Washington snapped a three-game losing streak by defeating Purdue 38-26. Washington quarterback Elijah Brown threw for 302 yards and three touchdowns, boosting his team’s offensive output.

In Philadelphia, Columbia completed a comeback against Penn with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Chase Brown to Bryce Coleman, leading to a late-game win for the Lions.

These developments highlight significant shifts both administratively and competitively within college football as the sport approaches potential structural changes and ongoing regulatory challenges.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.