The College Football Playoff is reportedly expanding to 24 teams starting in the 2027 season, adding yet another curveball to the sport. For Oregon coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks, the expanded postseason bracket likely boosts the team's chances of competing for national championships, but the road ahead remains difficult if not more perilous than before.
The Ducks are currently unranked in 2026 after losing to Oklahoma State and UCLA, meaning Oregon is on the outside looking in on hypothetical 24-team bracket projections. However, the concern for Lanning and company is currently trying to reach the 12-team CFP while quarterback Dante Moore is currently listed as "Out" on Oregon's first availability report before playing Nebraska.
Oregon's margin for error is slim with two losses in five games, but a 24-team playoff would give the Ducks more breathing room. How else does CFP expansion impact the Ducks?
How College Football Playoff Expansion Impacts Oregon
The impact on the regular season is one of the biggest arguments against expanding the CFP, and Oregon offers an interesting example. The Ducks' early-season tilt against USC was highly anticipated not only because of the rivalry between the two programs but also because of the stakes on the line. If both Oregon and the Trojans could comfortably make the CFP regardless of who wins, some argue why bother?
However, USC's loss to Oregon may not matter much anyways in the 12-team playoff if the Trojans are able to beat Indiana or Ohio State. The regular season has already been diluted, but the 24-team dilutes it even further. For the Ducks, losing to Oklahoma State and UCLA puts Oregon on the ropes in 2026.
If the 24-team bracket was already in effect, Oregon could keep its playoff hopes alive even by losing a third additional game.
The expanded CFP will bring some exciting changes to the sport, despite the overwhelming outcry that the news has been met with.
More playoff games could be played at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon, as the first two rounds would be played on campus before likely rotating through bowl games starting in the quarterfinals, if the format is to mirror the current 12-team playoff structure.
The requirement of playing 10 Power Four opponents also adds an interesting wrinkle for Oregon as the Ducks' in-state rivals, the Oregon State Beavers, are now part of the Group of Six. The Ducks are playing 10 Power Four games this season, losing to Oklahoma State in the lone game outside the Big Ten. Moving forward, however, it will be the norm for Oregon to schedule another Power Four team each season.
The eight highest seeds are expected to receive first-round byes, but the increased field will lead to some intriguing out-of-conference matchups with everything on the line. New teams could be coming to Eugene while the Ducks could travel to some historic sites in college football.
Whether or not the expanded field will result in any "Cinderella runs" remains to be seen, but upsets are bound to happen. Even in the 12-team iteration of the CFP, teams have gone on unexpected runs like Miami and Ole Miss after the 2025 season.
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