The College Football Playoff is reported to be expanding its field to 24 teams beginning in 2027, with 19 at-large bids and five power-conference automatic bids and no conference championship games. The Big Ten first floated a 24- or 28-team field in August 2025, and Greg Sankey said the SEC is open to it if national scheduling expectations are met. The long-term formula is expected to be 10 FBS opponents, one FCS and one Group of Six team. ESPN is paying $300 million for a format it did not want, while the Big Ten and SEC guaranteed five bids each, about ten of the 24 spots. Nick Saban has argued for a 16-team field with conference title games as play-ins.