Handshake Agreement Advances Plans for 24-Team College Football Playoff

Lubbock, TX, October 16, 2026 —

A handshake agreement between the College Football Playoff and ESPN has advanced plans for a 24-team playoff format, according to the available summary of the development. The proposed expansion is reportedly tied to compensation for major conferences if they eliminate their championship games.

The agreement is described as a handshake arrangement, but no further terms were provided. The information does not specify when the agreement was reached, when a 24-team format might take effect, or whether the plan has received formal approval. It also does not identify the conferences involved or explain how any compensation would be calculated or distributed.

The reported connection between playoff expansion and conference championship games is central to the development: the proposal would link a larger postseason field with changes to those games. However, the available details do not establish that the conferences have agreed to eliminate their championships, or that any such change has been finalized.

Other key elements remain unspecified, including the proposed playoff structure, the number of teams that would qualify automatically, and how selection would work. The summary also provides no statement from the College Football Playoff, ESPN or conference representatives. As a result, the scope and status of the reported plans cannot be determined from the information provided.

For now, the reported handshake agreement signals movement toward a 24-team format, while leaving open whether the proposal will become a formal arrangement and what changes it would bring to the postseason and conference schedules.

Story summarized from the original created by EDDIE PELLS, Associated Press on www.everythinglubbock.com, see more information here.

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