ESPN's Pete Thamel reported on Thursday afternoon that the College Football Playoff is closing in on a deal to expand the playoff from 12 to 24 teams, effective in 2027.

I simply cannot stress enough how much of a disaster this would be for the state of college football, especially in one of the most fragile times in the sport. The people in charge are squeezing everything they possibly can out of the current College Football fan, and they are going to reach a breaking point.

Fans are fed up with the state of the sport, the amount of money these players are making, the difference between the top spenders and the bottom spenders, kids transferring five times in five years, rules being made up on the spot, and all of it being driven by money.

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

Which, news flash, is exactly what this is.

Once money became the center of attention and it moved away from football being the most important thing about college football, then decisions like this started to come into play. Schools wanted- no, they needed bigger TV contracts to pay for $30 million rosters; TV Networks wanted more inventory, and the fans responded by continuing to watch.

An expansion to a 24-team playoff might be the final straw. This post below explains it perfectly, and it's funny because it isn't an exaggeration at all. Once this goes to a 24-team playoff, each one of these teams will literally have a 100% chance to make the College Football Playoff each year.

Some way-too-early odds to make the 2027 CFP.
Georgia 100%
Ohio State 100%
Texas 100%
Notre Dame 100%
Alabama 100%
Indiana 100%
Miami 100%
Oregon 100%
LSU 100%
Texas Tech 100%

— Brandon Zimmerman (@BZSEC) October 15, 2026

There will be teams ranked in the 15s and 20s that have four or five losses and are going to make the postseason. This renders the regular season completely useless.

This year's Oregon team is a perfect example of this. Could you imagine if this team, after how bad it has been and the two losses that it has had, still got the chance to play in the postseason?

It would be interesting because they would be able to beat anyone they line up against, but the point is that the regular season would be completely useless, and that is such a negative.

There are solutions to the state of college football, and this simply isn't one of them. Finding a way to fix the calendar, finding a way to limit transfers, and forcing kids to work for what they earn and to find their way are important. Finding ways to make the money flow sustainably through a program to players is important.

Instead, the people in charge said, nope, here is a 24 team Playoff. Complete disaster.

Source: Yahoo Sports