ESPN is reportedly preventing the College Football Playoff from expanding to 24 teams
The College Football Playoff was supposed to provide some certainty to a game that, for too long, has based its rewards on unreliable votes. And in such a way that there is no debate about the team crowned as national champions, it has been worked on.
But if there’s one thing fans have learned over the past few years, it’s that there’s one certainty in today’s college football. And after one round of expansion, from four to 12 teams, there is now more discussion and debate about the next round of expansion.
Others, including many fans, are happy to leave the field at 12. The SEC, arguably the most powerful conference, wants to move to 16, while increasing the number of major leagues. That, in their view, would allow more teams to reach the field based on strength of schedule rather than conference affiliation. Strength of schedule=more SEC teams, the thinking goes.
Then there’s the Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, and independent Notre Dame.
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Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti looks on during the College Football Playoff National Championship Game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., on Jan. 19, 2026. (David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
This week, several reports have confirmed that most of the power conferences and the Irish are looking for a 24-team playoff field. While that number has been met with reasonable skepticism from many fans, there is clearly a lot of support within the sport.
Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said At 3 that 24 is their strongest choice.
“We like 24, we want 24,” he said. “There are too many teams left out and 24 teams provide the right kind of access. That being said, we need to do some work on the economics of the 24 team format and make sure we address any unintended consequences.”
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ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips said the same in his press conference days this week.
“Our desire with the coaches and ADs is 24,” Phillips said. “If you leave the national championship teams out of the playoffs, you don’t have the right number. We lived through it, we suffered through it with Florida State, where the field is four years old.
“I know other schools have suffered because of that. Notre Dame was a CFP eligible team last year and you saw what happened to the last team that was invited with Miami.”
The College Football Playoff National Championship trophy is displayed on the sideline during the fourth quarter of the game between Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field in Atlanta, Ga., on Nov. 22, 2025. (Brett Davis/Images)
That’s consistent with what the Big Ten and Commissioner Tony Petitti proposed in initial discussions after the end of the 2025-2026 season. So if the Big Ten, Big 12, ACC and Notre Dame, four of the five most important voices in college football all agree on 24 teams, why hasn’t it happened yet?
Reportedly, mainly because of ESPN.
“ESPN has made it clear, they want it to stay at 12 or 14, but no higher than 16,” Phillips added Wednesday.
What? ESPN? The broadcaster has so much power in the playoff format for every game?
There are some reasons why ESPN would want the playoffs to stay where they are, even if it doesn’t get much bigger. Mainly because they own the rights to access the 14-team field, which means they will be forced to open bids for any additional playoff games. Ironically, for fans who don’t like ESPN’s perceived level of control over college football, it’s that level of control that would set up a 24-team format that might be unpopular.
The SEC also has an important voice in the chamber, and Commissioner Greg Sankey has already confirmed recently that he believes the 16-team expansion is better.
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SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey watches before the college football game between Alabama and Ole Miss at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss., on Nov. 12, 2022. (Joe Robbins/Icon Sportwire)
“That focus hasn’t changed,” Sankey explained Monday at a news conference in Alabama. “We’re open to discussion, but there are a lot of ideas out there that need to be backed up with analysis and information, not speculation.”
The incentives here are obvious. The ACC and Big 12 believe the bigger field will give them more opportunities in the new landscape dominated by the Big Ten and the SEC. The Big Ten thinks 24 teams will bring more revenue and the opportunity to host more playoff games at home. Notre Dame has realized that, as teams develop their schedules to make the playoffs instead of playing tough non-conference opponents, it will be a struggle for them to compete with the powers of the Big Ten or the SEC starting again and reach the top 12 each year.
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Meanwhile, the SEC is looking for 16 teams with as few car bids as possible in hopes of placing a portion of their conference in the field each year. That way they reinforce their opinion that they are the best conference in sports. And part of the conference is no exaggeration, given Sankey’s earlier comments.
Where this ends up is anyone’s guess, but it’s hard to see ESPN winning in the long run relative to the strength of those other conferences.
