A 24-team playoff is coming to college football as early as next season. ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that the playoff is "nearing a deal to expand to 24 teams." The new format is scheduled to begin in 2027. The expanded playoff reshapes college football as we know it today. At a macro level, there are pros and cons to an expanded playoff. From a BYU perspective, few programs in the country would have benefitted more from an expanded playoff than BYU since 2020.
Sources: The College Football Playoff is nearing a deal to expand to 24 teams, per sources. The new format will start in 2027 and is expected to come together in the near future, pending final approvals. pic.twitter.com/tRdVAiqKax
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 15, 2026
BYU has won 10 or more regular season games in four of the last six season, yet the sustained success has yielded zero invitations to the College Football Playoff. Despite having a playoff-worthy resume last season, the Cougars were on the wrong side of history as the only one-loss P4 team ever ranked outside the top 10.
In a world of an expanded 24-team field, BYU would have clearly made the cut in four of the last six seasons, including the opportunity to host home games in 2025 and 2021.
2025 vs Georgia Tech
In the 24-team format, the conference championships would go away. Therefore, the Cougars would have been 11-1 and ranked 11th in the final CFP rankings. Instead of playing Georgia Tech in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, the Cougars would have hosted no. 22 Georgia Tech in the first round of the playoffs.
The winner of that game would have taken on No. 6 Ole Miss on the road.
2024 at Arizona State
Remember that instant classic between BYU and Arizona State? In a 24-team format, the Cougars would have returned to Tempe for a first round playoff game. BYU and ASU were by far the two best teams in the Big 12 that season.
The winner of ASU-BYU would have advanced to take on no. 2 Texas in Austin. Remember, the Sun Devils played Texas in the playoff that season and pushed them to overtime. The Longhorns needed a 4th & 11 conversion to win that game in overtime.
2021 vs Houston
In 2021, 10-2 BYU and No. 12 would have hosted 11-1 Houston in the first round of the College Football Playoff. The winner would have advanced to take on No. 5 Oklahoma State on the road. This scenario would have been ideal for the brand of the Big 12.
2020 at Iowa
In 2020, Zach Wilson and the high-powered BYU offensive attack would have gone on the road to take on the No. 16 Iowa Hawkeyes. The winner of that game would have take on No. 1 Alabama on the road in the second round.
If the Season Ended Today
If the season ended today and the AP poll mirrored the College Football Playoff rankings, BYU would have a first-round bye and face the winner of Ole Miss and SMU at home.
Here is what the 24-team College Football Playoff bracket would look like right now, with seeding based on the current AP Top 25 Pollhttps://t.co/ETGMXqS09A pic.twitter.com/yuf1psWsvT
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) October 15, 2026
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