Report says college football playoff close to 24-team deal despite fan opposition, Deseret News says

Deseret News reported that the College Football Playoff appears near a deal to expand to 24 teams beginning in 2027, citing a report by ESPN’s Pete Thamel. The article said conference leaders and media coverage at league media days have emphasised access and format options, while noting an impending Dec.

1 deadline for conferences to finalise format changes for the 2027–28 season. The Deseret News article said a recent fan survey found broad opposition to a 24-team field, even as several commissioners publicly signalled support for expansion.

The piece quoted SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey saying the conference was open to expanding the playoff and that a decision could come "probably sooner rather than later," and quoted Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark saying more access was needed and recalling that public support was strong when the playoff moved from four to 12 teams.

Deseret News framed the possible expansion as a matter conference leaders are actively resolving under time pressure from the Dec. 1 formatting deadline. The story described ongoing negotiation over remaining issues among conferences and noted that reporting by Thamel and coverage at media days have pushed the proposal into public view.

The article also highlighted that other outlets and platforms have addressed bracket proposals and related polls: On3 published a headline about a 24-team bracket seeded on the AP Top 25 poll, The New York Times invited readers to weigh in with a survey about a 24-team playoff, and SportsGrid ran a headline about a 12-team bracket tied to the AP poll.

Deseret News used those items and reporting to show the debate over formats and seeding is active across outlets. While the Deseret News account conveys that a deal is close, it also emphasised the fan survey’s finding of widespread disapproval, presenting the contrast between leadership momentum and fan sentiment. The article placed the scheduling constraint — the Dec.

1 deadline to set formats for the 2027–28 season — at the centre of why conferences are pushing to resolve remaining issues now.

Deseret News did not publish detailed bracket mechanics, vote tallies among conference commissioners, or precise provisions of the reported deal; it reported the Thamel item about a near-final agreement and documented commissioners’ public remarks and the fan survey result as the principal elements of the story.