The College Football Playoff is on the verge of a major overhaul, with a 24-team bracket expected to take over in 2027 if final approval comes through.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Heather Dinich reported Thursday that the expansion is nearing a deal, one that would double the current 12-team field and push more postseason action onto campuses. The move would also change the rhythm of college football’s finish, giving more teams a path into the bracket while likely doing away with conference championship games.
Under the proposed setup, the playoff would include the four Power Four conference champions, the highest-ranked Group of Six team and 19 at-large selections. The top eight teams would get first-round byes and then host their first game in the second round.
Seeds nine through 16 would host opening-round games against seeds 17 through 24. The first two rounds would be played on campus, while the New Year’s Six bowls would still handle the quarterfinals and semifinals.
That structure creates a different kind of season-long chase. Teams would not just be fighting to get in; they would be chasing home-field advantage and, for the best of the bunch, a bye. The reward for finishing higher in the rankings would matter in a much bigger way.
Not everyone is sold on the idea. The expansion has already drawn criticism from people who believe the 12-team field is enough and that stretching it further would water down the regular season. The concern, from that angle, is simple: a bigger bracket gives the sport’s heavyweights more room to absorb a loss and still stay alive.
Even so, the expanded format would open the door for more teams to rebound from an early stumble and stay in the race deeper into the year. More fan bases would have a reason to stay locked in through November, and the playoff picture would carry more weight across more Saturdays.
For Utah, BYU and the Big 12 as a whole, the proposal would widen the road to the postseason. A team would no longer need to win its conference to keep championship hopes alive, and a tough road loss or crowded finish near the top of the standings would be less likely to end the dream. The Big 12 could realistically put several teams in the field, and conference games would matter not just for standings but for playoff placement, home games and byes.
Utah and BYU could even end up in the same playoff season, with their annual meeting helping shape where each lands in the bracket. For both fan bases, the tantalizing possibility is obvious: playoff football at Rice-Eccles Stadium or LaVell Edwards Stadium.
Utah State and the rebuilt Pac-12 would have a route as well through the guaranteed berth for the highest-ranked Group of Six team. But the proposal would still leave only one automatic spot for that group, and an expanded field would not promise a fixed number of bids for the Big 12 or Pac-12. Those teams would still have to compete with programs from every other league for the same at-large spots.
The change would also put conference championship games in jeopardy, with the expectation that they disappear entirely. That would shift more importance onto standings and tiebreakers when leagues sort out their champions.
Bowls beyond the New Year’s Six could feel the squeeze, too. As more attention and more postseason inventory moves into the playoff, some of the sport’s other bowls may have to find new life as season-opening events, staged at neutral sites with sponsors and non-conference matchups.
The expanded bracket would also demand more from rosters. Teams without a bye would need five postseason wins to win the title, turning the path to the championship into a 17-game grind after a standard 12-game regular season.
The playoff remains at 12 teams for 2026. If the expansion is approved, 2027 would bring a much wider field and a very different postseason landscape.
In Other News...
Utahs Volatile Punt Return Spot Just Took Another Turn
Utahs punt return job has been one of the quieter moving parts on the roster, but it shifted again in the win over Kansas when receiver Creed Whittemore handled two punts. The change came after Mana Carvalho briefly stepped out of the role, giving the Utes another look at a spot that has already seen some turnover this season.
Morgan Scalley later clarified that Carvalho has passed concussion protocol and is still Utahs primary punt returner, which settles at least the immediate question at the position. The timing matters for a team trying to keep its special teams steady, and it came during a week when the program also had bigger-picture news off the field, with the Board of Trustees approving plans for stadium improvements. [Read more 🡒]
Colorado Gets A Huge Chance To Change Everything Against Utah
Colorado is looking at Saturdays matchup with Utah as a chance to stop the slide and reset a season that has gone sideways over a three-game losing streak. Hosting the No. 11 Utes is not exactly the easiest way to do it, but the Buffs do have some familiar faces to lean on, with quarterback Isaac Wilson and wide receiver Joseph Williams among the names carrying the load on offense.
Utah, meanwhile, arrives unbeaten in conference play and with the kind of balance that has made it one of the tougher teams to slow down. Devon Dampier is steering the offense, and the Utes have also leaned on the ground game to keep defenses honest, which leaves Colorado needing a clean performance at home if it wants to turn the week into something more than just another difficult outing. [Read more 🡒]
Utah Is Winning Big 12 Respect Without Spending Like A Contender
Utahs rise in the Big 12 has been built on more than just results on the field. Even as the sports spending arms race keeps reshaping expectations, the Utes have stayed unbeaten and climbed to No. 11 while reportedly working with an NIL payroll in the $18 million to $20 million range, well below the kind of money many people associate with a true contender. Morgan Scalley has helped steady the program through a coaching transition, and Devon Dampier has given Utah the kind of quarterback play that can keep a team in every conversation that matters.
What makes the Utes start so notable is the broader picture around them. Other programs operating with smaller NIL budgets have found ways to stay competitive, while some of the biggest spenders have not matched the hype attached to their payrolls. Utah has still found a way to look like a team built for the top of the league, and the next question is whether this version of the Utes can keep turning restraint into staying power as the season goes on. [Read more 🡒]