As the Kentucky Wildcats look to earn a spot in this year’s 12-team College Football Playoff, the postseason tournament is set for a major expansion beginning in 2027.
According to ESPN’s Heather Dinich and Pete Thamel, the CFP is expected to expand to 24 teams starting in the 2027 season. It’s also expected to end conference championships, so there will be no more SEC Championship Games after this year.
The 24-team field is expected to have 19 at-large bids, the Power 4 conference champions as determined by each league, and the highest-ranked Group of 6 team.
Here’s a look at how the playoff format and seeding would look:
Under the proposed plan, teams seeded Nos. 1 through 8 would earn a first-round bye followed by a home game. (The No. 1 seed would face the winner of No. 16 vs. No. 17, and the No. 2 seed would face the winner of No. 15 vs. No. 18). Teams hovering around No. 17 and No. 18 are trying to move up so they can host a first-round home game (awarded to teams seeded Nos. 9-16), while teams at the bottom are constantly trying to stay in the field or protect their spot.
It’s unclear if this will lead to the end of the rest of the bowl season for teams who don’t make the playoff, but it certainly seems to be trending that way.
At least Kentucky has a better shot at competing for a playoff spot each year, though it’s really sad to see the conference championships, and possibly the bowl season, come to an abrupt end.