It has long been expected that the College Football Playoff (CFP) would eventually expand to 24 teams, and ESPN’s Pete Thamel has confirmed that a deal is near. The new format is expected to begin in 2027-28, ushering in a new era of college football. Are P.J. Fleck and the Gophers ready?
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
Fleck supported a 24-team playoff at Big Ten Media Days in July, when he said Minnesota is “closer than what people think” to qualifying for a 24-team field. Well, it appears that theory will be tested as soon as next season.
As much as the average college football fan will say, “Nobody wanted this; 12 was the perfect playoff,” or “Bring back the BCS,” none of that is going to happen. Network TV executives and conference presidents care about the bottom line, and the 24-team playoff will create more money for everyone. This announcement confirms they never cared about the average college football fan, and they never will.
From the perspective of programs like Minnesota, things will begin to get interesting. Alongside the Gophers’ fall from being a Big Ten superpower before the 1960s, their program expectations changed. Many fans became comfortable with making a bowl game, especially after the 1980s and 1990s, which were the worst years in the history of Gophers football.
Former Minnesota head coach Glen Mason made a bowl game the expectation in the early 2000s. Jerry Kill picked that up after some chaotic Tim Brewster-led years, and Fleck quickly understood the standard of Minnesota football. These expectations have been built by decades of mediocrity, but Fleck knows what the administration wants: a low-budget program that has just enough success to make the majority of the fan base buy in every year.
When Fleck was hired in 2017, four teams made the CFP. That number will now multiplied by six 10 years later. Those out-of-date standards will be tested in the new 24-team format.
Fleck loves to flaunt his perfect 7-0 bowl record at Minnesota. The exact format of the 24-team playoff has not been finalized, but it’s fair to assume that the traditional concept of college football bowl games will disappear. If that happens, what does Fleck have to lean on? The answer is one season.
Minnesota has finished ranked in the top 24 of the CFP rankings one time under Fleck, which came during its often-referenced 2019 season. For reference, Iowa has done so five times in the same period, and Wisconsin has done so twice, despite a downward turn as a program over the last few years.
Expectations for elite programs like Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon or Penn State will probably remain the same under the new 24-team format, but they will change dramatically for mid-tier Big Ten programs like Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Nebraska, the programs the Gophers should always be compared with.
Trips to the Rate Bowl, Duke’s Mayo Bowl or Pinstripe Bowl, if they even exist by this time next year, will have a significantly different meaning. The 24-team playoff is realistic for every program in the Big Ten. A billion-dollar TV contract means the money is there for every single program in the conference, even Rutgers.
College football is a unique sport with unique fans. As much as it shifts more toward an NFL model, there is a portion of the fan base that will always care about competing against traditional rivals over the majority of the season. It’s obvious that Fleck understands this, based on his reaction to beating Michigan earlier this season and his reactions to beating Wisconsin and Iowa in the past. That will always be there, but it’s naive to think that the 24-team format won’t change those views a little bit.
Losses like last week’s against Purdue have become the norm under Fleck since 2019. Those results would be massive under the 24-team format. Minnesota had a path to being ranked before that defeat, but now a three-game stretch against Iowa, Indiana and UCLA makes a four-game losing streak feel closer.
Will those 7-5 and 8-4 regular seasons that finish just outside the top 25 be accepted by U of M administration in the 24-team era? That remains to be seen, but it’s impossible to ignore that they will at least feel different.
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This story was originally published by Bring Me The Sports on Oct 15, 2026, where it first appeared in the MN Gophers section. Add Bring Me The Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.