ESPN Handshake Deal Moves College Football Closer to 24-Team Playoff as Miami, Florida Programs Watch

College football moved closer to doubling its playoff to 24 teams after the College Football Playoff and broadcast partner ESPN reached what a person familiar with the negotiations called a "handshake agreement," The Associated Press reported Friday. For Florida's programs, from No. 3 Miami to unranked Florida, Florida State, UCF and USF, a bigger bracket would change what a season has to look like to reach the postseason.

The person told the AP that the framework of a deal to expand starting next season had been reached, but that many details and an official contract remained unfinished. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because negotiations are ongoing. The news arrived on the eve of one of Florida's biggest rivalry weekends, with Miami hosting Florida State on Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium.

What was reported

The central obstacle to expansion has been money. A 24-team field would eliminate the major conferences' championship games, which bring in nine-figure sums, and the leagues need a television deal that makes up the difference. According to the AP, the handshake agreement with ESPN is designed to do that.

ESPN, citing its own unnamed sources, reported that its average additional payment to the CFP for the six years of an expanded playoff would be $345 million a year. The expanded format would include 12 more games than the current 12-team playoff. The current six-year ESPN deal, which begins this season, is worth $7.8 billion, the AP reported.

Earlier in the week, the CFP said talks with ESPN would continue after a 30-day exclusive negotiating window closed, without sharing details, citing the confidential nature of the discussions. Under the existing contract, ESPN holds the first option on the additional games created by any expansion, according to AP reporting. The field remains at 12 teams this season, and there is a Dec. 1 deadline to make changes for next season.

The format under discussion

No final format has been announced. According to the AP, the parties have been discussing a structure along these lines:

• Automatic bids for the champions of the four power conferences (the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC) and for the highest-ranked team from the Group of Six conferences.
• Nineteen at-large teams chosen by the selection committee.
• The first two rounds played on campus sites, with the top eight teams receiving first-round byes and then hosting second-round games.
• The major bowls continuing to host the quarterfinals and semifinals, with the national championship game remaining in late January.

Critics have argued that a 24-team field would water down the regular season. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti has countered that the chase for a bye, home-field advantage and a place in the top 24 would give a wider range of teams something to play for in November, the AP reported.

Miami: a case study in the bigger bracket

No Florida program illustrates the stakes of playoff size better than Miami. Last season, the Hurricanes entered the 12-team bracket as the No. 10 seed and played their way to the national championship game at their home stadium, Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, where top-seeded Indiana beat them 27-21 on Jan. 19, 2026. Under the old four-team format, that run could not have happened.

This season Miami is 5-0, first in the ACC standings and No. 3 in both the AP Top 25 and the coaches poll. As things stand, the Hurricanes look like a team that would contend for one of the eight byes in a 24-team format, which would come with a home game in the second round. Under the reported structure, an ACC title would guarantee a spot, but the end of conference championship games would also remove one high-pressure December test.

Saturday's game against Florida State (3-3) kicks off at 7 p.m. on ESPN. A loss would not end Miami's playoff hopes in either format, but it would affect the seeding that determines who plays at home.

Florida, FSU, UCF and USF: chasing the top 24

The more significant change could come for Florida's other programs, none of which is ranked this week. With 19 at-large spots awarded by the committee, teams on the fringe of the rankings would have a realistic path that the 12-team format does not offer.

• Florida is 4-2 and plays at No. 7 Texas on Saturday at noon on ABC. A road win over a top-10 opponent is exactly the kind of result that would matter in a 24-team at-large debate.
• Florida State is 3-3 and 13th in the ACC standings, and its trip to Miami is its best chance this season to add a marquee win.
• UCF is 3-3, 10th in the Big 12 standings, and hosts No. 8 BYU next weekend.
• USF is 4-2 and hosts Kent State on Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium. As a member of the American Athletic Conference, USF would compete for the single automatic bid reserved for the highest-ranked Group of Six team, or for an at-large spot.

For programs in the middle of the standings, Petitti's argument is the relevant one: in a 24-team world, a 4-2 or 3-3 team in mid-October is still playing for something, while in a 12-team world those records leave little margin.

What it could mean for Florida stadiums and fans

Campus sites for the first two rounds would give Florida schools with strong seasons the chance to host December playoff games in their own stadiums, bringing the economic activity of a home playoff game to cities like Miami Gardens, Gainesville, Tallahassee, Orlando or Tampa. Miami plays its home games at Hard Rock Stadium, which also hosts the Orange Bowl, one of the major bowls that would continue to host quarterfinals and semifinals under the format the AP described.

Fans would also face a longer postseason. With 12 more games, a later start for bye teams and a championship game that stays in late January, the reported structure would add weeks of potential travel and ticket costs for supporters of a team that advances deep into the bracket.

What's next

The handshake agreement still has to become a signed contract, and the details remain unsettled, according to the AP's source. The Dec. 1 deadline for changes to next season's format is about six weeks away. Until then, the 2026 season will be decided under the 12-team format, and Florida's teams can only control their own results, starting with a Saturday that includes Florida at Texas, Florida State at Miami and Kent State at USF.