The College Football Playoff will expand to a 24-team bracket starting with the 2027 season.
The new format adds one additional round of games and doubles the number of teams receiving first-round byes — from four to eight. All first-round games will be hosted on campus. Quarterfinal matchups will be held at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl Presented by Prudential and Allstate Sugar Bowl.
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The expansion is projected using the College Football Playoff selection committee’s final 2025 ranking — which includes results through conference championship games. Under that ranking, No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers (Big Ten champions) earn the top seed and a first-round bye. No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes, No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs (SEC champions), and No. 4 Texas Tech Red Raiders (Big 12 champions) also receive byes.
Other first-round byes go to No. 5 Oregon Ducks, No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels, No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies and No. 8 Oklahoma Sooners. The first-round matchups include No. 24 Duke Blue Devils — ACC champions — traveling to face No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide, and No. 20 Tulane Green Wave representing the Group of Six against No. 13 Texas Longhorns.
Second-round pairings set up potential high-profile rematches, including No. 18 Michigan Wolverines or No. 15 Utah Utes hosting No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes — if either wins its first-round game.
This projection is based solely on the 2025 final CFP ranking and does not reflect current season standings or official 2027 bracket assignments.
More: NCAAF · Indiana Hoosiers · Ohio State Buckeyes · Georgia Bulldogs
