Handshake Agreement Moves College Football Playoff Toward 24-Team Format
A handshake agreement between the College Football Playoff and ESPN is moving college football closer to a 24-team postseason format, a move intended to compensate major conferences for losses incurred by eliminating their championship games.
Charlotte, NC, October 16, 2026 —
A handshake agreement between the College Football Playoff and ESPN is moving college football closer to a postseason format with 24 teams. The proposed expansion is intended to compensate major conferences for losses associated with eliminating their championship games, according to the available description of the agreement.
The agreement is described as a handshake arrangement, but no further terms were provided. The information does not specify when it was reached, whether it is binding, or what steps remain before a 24-team format could be adopted. It also does not identify the conferences involved or explain how any compensation would be calculated or distributed.
The stated rationale links a larger playoff field to the financial effects of removing conference championship games. However, the available details do not say whether those games have been formally eliminated, when a change might take effect, or how the proposed postseason structure would operate.
ESPN is identified as a party to the agreement alongside the College Football Playoff. No additional information was provided about ESPN’s role, the negotiating process, or the organizations’ positions on the arrangement.
The description presents the agreement as bringing college football closer to a 24-team playoff, rather than confirming that the format has been finalized. Further specifics—including a timeline, implementation details and the terms of any compensation—were not provided.
Story summarized from the original created by EDDIE PELLS, Associated Press on www.qcnews.com, see more information here.
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