The College Football Playoff is barreling toward a massive 24-team format, and it looks like Notre Dame is already out here drawing up new battle plans. With the 24-team playoff appearing to be a done deal, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are reportedly planning to radically change how they schedule opponents going forward, aiming straight for the heart of the SEC and Big Ten.
24 Teams. Campus Games. No Conference Champs?
Ross Dellenger, college football insider for Yahoo Sports, dropped the scoop on Thursday about what this 24-team playoff is actually going to look like. We’re talking 23 at-large bids, plus one guaranteed spot for the top Group of Six team. Imagine the chaos: first and second-round games played on *campus*. Wild, right? There’s also going to be a week off after the regular season and, get this, the complete elimination of conference championship games. That’s a game-changer for sure. Oh, and here’s a big one: every Power Four school would have to play at least 10 Power Four games. Right now, 11 schools aren’t even hitting that mark for 2027.
Now, before you lose your mind, Dellenger says the deal isn’t totally locked in. The CFP Management Committee, which is basically the 10 FBS conference commissioners and Bevacqua, got the full ESPN proposal on Thursday, but there was no vote. Apparently, some executives in the process raised “issues.” The CFP themselves put out a statement saying, “Constructive discussions with ESPN continued this week. We have enjoyed a strong partnership with ESPN since our inception and are appreciative of the productive dialogue we have had throughout the negotiating period and continuing over the last several days. We will provide additional updates on the matters of future format and media rights when appropriate.” So, it’s not done, but it sure sounds like it’s on the way.
Notre Dame’s Aggressive Scheduling Play
This 24-team playoff is going to flip college football on its head, with way more teams getting a shot at the postseason. And Notre Dame? They’re already plotting their course through this new landscape. Dellenger hit X to report that the Fighting Irish are “expected to increase its frequency of playing SEC and Big Ten schools as part of the 24-team expansion.” Think about that for a second.
Notre Dame has always been famously independent, even though they play five ACC opponents every season because of a scheduling agreement. They even have their own TV deal with NBC. So, dialing up the SEC and Big Ten games? That’s going to make their road significantly tougher, no doubt about it. But with 24 teams making the playoff, there’s suddenly a bigger margin for error during the regular season. That wiggle room means teams can finally schedule those monster, marquee matchups without a single loss completely derailing their whole season. It’s a calculated risk that screams confidence.
This isn’t just a ripple; it’s a seismic shift. The ball’s moving, and while we wait for official updates on the playoff format and media rights from the CFP, Notre Dame is clearly not waiting around. Expect to see some heavyweight matchups added to their schedule in the seasons to come, and that’s going to be appointment viewing for every college football fan out there.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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