Report: College Football Moves Closer to 24-Team Playoff Format
College football is reportedly moving closer to a 24-team playoff format due to a handshake agreement with ESPN. This deal is designed to offset financial losses for major conferences that would occur from eliminating their championship games.
Wichita Falls & Lawton, TX, October 16, 2026 —
College football is reportedly moving closer to a 24-team playoff format following a handshake agreement with ESPN, according to the available summary of the development. The proposed arrangement is intended to offset financial losses major conferences would face if their championship games were eliminated.
The summary does not say that the expanded playoff format has been formally approved or that conference championship games have been eliminated. It describes the agreement as a handshake deal and the move toward a 24-team format as reported, leaving the arrangement’s formal status unclear.
Key terms of the agreement were not provided. The summary does not identify the financial value of the deal, which conferences would be affected, or how any compensation would be distributed. It also does not specify when a 24-team playoff might begin or whether the format has received approval from relevant decision-makers.
The reported purpose of the arrangement is to address a financial concern tied to a possible change in the postseason structure: major conferences could lose revenue if championship games were removed. The summary does not provide estimates of those potential losses or explain how ESPN’s agreement would offset them.
For now, the reported handshake agreement points to a possible link between playoff expansion and conference finances, but the available information leaves important details unresolved. No additional statements from ESPN, conferences or other parties were included in the summary.
Story summarized from the original created by EDDIE PELLS, Associated Press on www.texomashomepage.com, see more information here.
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