Dodgers do just enough to outlast Braves in opener
Dodgers secure a 3-1 victory over Braves in opener with Freeman's homer
A 24-team College Football Playoff is gaining support, with the American Football Coaches Association and the Big Ten backing the model. If approved by December 1, it could start in 2027, featuring 23 ranked teams and one Group of Six champion.
The push for a 24-team College Football Playoff is gaining real steam. The American Football Coaches Association recently voted in favor of the expanded model, the Big Ten has been circulating its 24-team blueprint for months, and even a White House committee has signaled support. The 2026 season will still feature the 12-team format, but if commissioners agree before the December 1 deadline, the 24-team era could arrive as soon as 2027.
Under the preferred “23+1” model, the field would include the 23 highest-ranked teams plus one guaranteed spot for the top Group of Six champion. The top eight seeds would earn first-round byes. Seeds 9 through 24 would host opening-round games on campus, with conference championship weekend eliminated to make room for the new round.
So what would that bracket look like for the 2026 season? Here’s a reasonable projection of the field if it ended today.
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The first four out under this projection: Louisville, Virginia Tech, Utah, and Houston. All four have Top 25 talent and realistic paths into the field if the chips fall right in November.
The SEC and Big Ten dominate, as expected. They would combine for 14 of the 24 spots in this projection (eight SEC, six Big Ten). The ACC would land two power slots in Miami and SMU, with Notre Dame in as an independent. The Big 12 would get two in BYU and Texas Tech. Boise State’s auto-bid is the only G6 access point under the “23+1” model, which is why so many coaches at non-power schools have a lukewarm view of it.
The other thing worth noting: a 24-team field essentially turns the regular season into a long qualifier rather than a gauntlet. Teams like Penn State and Tennessee, which would be squarely on the bubble in a 12-team format, comfortably get in here. Whether that’s a feature or a bug depends on whether you value access or exclusivity, and that debate is exactly why commissioners are still arguing over the format with the December 1 deadline closing in.
For now, the 12-team College Football bracket remains the law of the land for 2026. But if the 24-team model arrives in 2027 as proposed, expect brackets that look a lot like this one. Bigger, busier, and of course, with a whole lot more December football for fans and pundits to argue about.
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The proposed format includes 23 highest-ranked teams and one guaranteed spot for the top Group of Six champion, with the top eight seeds receiving first-round byes.
If approved by the commissioners before the December 1 deadline, the 24-team playoff could begin as soon as the 2027 season.
The conference championship weekend will be eliminated to accommodate the new opening-round games hosted on campus.
The American Football Coaches Association and the Big Ten are among the organizations supporting the expansion, along with a White House committee.
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