College Football Playoff will expand to 24 teams in another sea change for the sport

NPR | By Becky Sullivan

Published November 9, 2026 at 5:18 PM EST

The College Football Playoff is expanding again. The 12-team format lasted just three years. Starting next fall, the field will expand to 24 teams in a massive moment of transformation for the sport.

Becky Sullivan

Becky Sullivan is NPR’s sports correspondent.

See stories by Becky Sullivan

Support nonprofit, fact-based public service journalism

WEKU depends on support from those who view and listen to our content. There's no paywall here. Please support WEKU with your donation.

Contribute now

Related Content

NPR News

France accuses Iran of cyber 'sabotage' in fridge attacks

Jenna McLaughlin, Rebecca Rosman

France says Iranian military hackers took over refrigeration controllers at around 700 different retail sites last month, turning up temperatures in the middle of the night and spoiling millions of dollars' worth of food.
How Medicaid affected one California House race

Jackie Fortiér

A Republican in California's Central Valley fended off challengers for years. But his district had a lot of people on Medicaid, and he lost by a large margin this time.
NPR News

In northern Ethiopia, conflict pushes a strained healthcare system to the brink

Durrie Bouscaren

Ethiopia's health care system was once considered a model in the region. But in the northern Tigray region, ongoing conflict has left health facilities and medical workers vulnerable to attacks.
Swing voters in swing states weigh the effect of the midterm results

Tamara Keith

These swing voters in swing states didn't all vote for Democrats, but they are all hoping for results and lower prices.
Turkey hosts world climate summit, but some critics accuse it of 'greenwashing'

Hadeel Al-Shalchi

Thousands of diplomats, executives and leaders are gathering in Turkey for a global climate summit. In recent years, Turkey has moved to be more eco-conscious, but some say that hasn't been enough.